Can I do a novena as the penance that I received during confession?

[Don_Ruggero]

Thank you for replying.

I have another question:

I went to a confession with a different priest the other day, and he gave me a really vague penance. He said “When you say your rosary, pray for the forgiveness of your sin and grace to not to commit them”.

so my question is: Let’s say I want to pray a rosary novena with some intention other than the penance. does this mean that while I commence this novena, I have to pray 10 decades of rosary everyday, since (5 decades of rosary for penance)+(5 decades of rosary for the other intention) = (10 decades of rosary each day)???

or can I just pray 5 decades of rosary each day to address both the penance and the special intention (i.e. praying 5 decades of rosary for both penance and special intention)?

Yes…that is definitely formulated on the vague side, which is really not helpful to a penitent.

This question, actually, involves several points.

First is that one should complete one’s penance from one confession before approaching the sacrament again; in other words one, normally, should not have one penance outstanding as one is receiving another penance in connection with another reception of the sacrament without advising the confessor of that situation…so I am trusting that you are not asking if you could accomplish both penances concomitantly.

Second, if you have cited exactly what the priest said, then the next rosary that you prayed after that confession would have fulfilled the penance, had you included the specified intention, since it would not be reasonable to construe When you say your rosary, pray for the forgiveness of your sin and grace to not to commit them as intending in perpetuity but rather When you say your next rosary.

Third, no…you would not need to pray 10 decades of the rosary, since the confessor integrated the penance into your routine of praying the rosary by saying “your.”

I should add a couple of notations:

You are always free to seek clarification when something is vague. I think, some times, penitents are reluctant in the moment to do so but they need not be…I would rather a penitent ask me than for them to labour in uncertainty and have to seek a commutation from me or another confessor later because they are unsure.

You are always free to request another penance…either from the confessor himself or, subsequently, by way of commutation from another priest who has the faculty to hear confession.

A penitent may also propose a penance.

Similarly, a penitent may decline a penance as, for example, a person who is ill declining a penance involving fast or abstinence that could be physically detrimental, unbeknownst to the confessor. In such a case, the confessor needs to impose another penance. A confessor should not, for example, impose a penance of a pilgrimage to the diocesan shrine upon someone who is normally housebound due to illness.

 

[catholic0913]

Thank you again for your reply.

So just to confirm, for example, if I want to commence a rosary novena for a new job in future, I only need to pray 5 decades of Rosary everyday for 9 days for both the vague penance and the intention for a new job, rather than praying 10 decades everyday (5 for penance and 5 for the new job)?

Thank you again for your help.

 

[MaryT777]

If you were already planning on doing the Novena on your own, then that shouldn’t take the place of the penance given by the priest. That is my opinion.

In our family, we always said a daily rosary. If in the confessional, the priest gave a penance of a few Hail Mary’s, or Our Fathers, or a decade of the rosary, it was always understood that that was in addition to any daily prayers currently being said or planned on being said. Penance is Penance, Devotional Prayers are private Devotional Prayers.

This.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Thank you again for your reply.

So just to confirm, for example, if I want to commence a rosary novena for a new job in future, I only need to pray 5 decades of Rosary everyday for 9 days for both the vague penance and the intention for a new job, rather than praying 10 decades everyday (5 for penance and 5 for the new job)?

Thank you again for your help.

Yes…saying five decades of the rosary for nine days, including the intention the confessor specified in the nine rosaries, would certainly more than fulfill the penance.

I am glad I happened to be on the page and saw your question.