Communal penance services

[LilyM]

It’s not permitted to have ‘communal’ penance services of this kind (where there’s no individual confession of sins or individual absolution) except in cases of emergency (as in crashing plane type emergency) where individual confession isn’t possible.

You need to licitly confess your sins one-on-one to a priest asap and not receive the Eucharist until you’ve done so (if you’re in mortal sin)

 

[puzzleannie]

It’s not permitted to have ‘communal’ penance services of this kind (where there’s no individual confession of sins or individual absolution) except in cases of emergency (as in crashing plane type emergency) where individual confession isn’t possible.

You need to licitly confess your sins one-on-one to a priest asap and not receive the Eucharist until you’ve done so (if you’re in mortal sin)

it is perfectly legitimate to have a communal penance service. What is not legitimate is to have general absolution except in the rare cases specified for that form of the rite of confession. OP did not say that occurred.

 

[thomasf]

It’s not permitted to have ‘communal’ penance services of this kind (where there’s no individual confession of sins or individual absolution) except in cases of emergency (as in crashing plane type emergency) where individual confession isn’t possible.

You need to licitly confess your sins one-on-one to a priest asap and not receive the Eucharist until you’ve done so (if you’re in mortal sin)

I went to confession last week. I went to this with my sister-in-law tonight to see what it was like. Is it a mortal sin to go to communial confession?

 

[JimG]

I went to a communial confession service tonight at my sister-in-law’s church. It was nice, but I’m not sure that it’s recognized or treated the same as a regular confession. Like I said it was a nice service, not a full mass, and the scripture readings and homily and reflections were very helpful. But I’m not sure I get the same ‘feeling’ I do from one on one confession.

Are you saying that there was no individual confession and absolution as a part of this communal penance service?? Every communal penance service I have ever attended included individual confessions and individual absolution.

 

[thomasf]

Are you saying that there was no individual confession and absolution as a part of this communal penance service?? Every communal penance service I have ever attended included individual confessions and individual absolution.

Nope. There was what they called an ‘examination of conscience’ and a prayer for forgiveness after the homily. The ‘examination’ was a reading of questions that you were supposed to reflect on, and whether or not you were living up to these expectations. There was no communion, it was more like a service than a mass.

This wasn’t at my church. Like I said, I went to confession at my church last week, in the confessional, with a confession of sins, the prayer of contrition, and absolution and penance.

I don’t believe I’ve done anything mortally sinful since then.

I will point out, my sister-in-law’s church also had individual confession last week and this week as well.

 

[JimG]

If there were no priests available to hear confessions, then I fail to see the point of the service. Although it does sound almost exactly like a real communal penance service, where, after the readings, homily, and examination of conscience, priests would be available for confession.

 

[thomasf]

There might have been individual confessions afterwords. Although it appeared that everyone left after the service.

 

[dessert]

We have communal confession during advent and lent, but it is like a service (mass) without communion. But they have all four parish priests there and have the reponses and then the four priests go to each a corner and do private standing up confessions with penance and then when it is all done more prayer and blessing which a lot don’t stay for. And even a processin and hymn but it took an hour and most don’t go to it and yes there were no seperate time confession that day but with the personal attention you didn’t need it. I have been a couple times but if I am not in mortal sin i don’t go rather wait tillthe next week. Hope this helps. I guess if you are in mortal sin it would work because they do give a penance. Dessert

 

[dylanschrader]

General absolution is illicit and invalid except in cases where individual confession of sins is impossible.

There is a form of the Rite of Penance that allows for a group celebration, but this always has to include individual confession and absolution.

From the Code of Canon Law:

Can. 960 Individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the sole ordinary means by which a member of the faithful who is conscious of grave sin is reconciled with God and with the Church. Physical or moral impossibility alone excuses from such confession, in which case reconciliation may be attained by other means also.

Can. 961 §1 General absolution, without prior individual confession, cannot be given to a number of penitents together, unless:
1° danger of death threatens and there is not time for the priest or priests to hear the confessions of the individual penitents;
2° there exists a grave necessity, that is, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors available properly to hear the individual confessions within an appropriate time, so that without fault of their own the penitents are deprived of the sacramental grace or of holy communion for a lengthy period of time. A sufficient necessity is not, however, considered to exist when confessors cannot be available merely because of a great gathering of penitents, such as can occur on some major feastday or pilgrimage.
§2 It is for the diocesan Bishop to judge whether the conditions required in §1, n. 2° are present; mindful of the criteria agreed with the other members of the Episcopal Conference, he can determine the cases of such necessity.

Can. 962 §1 For a member of Christ’s faithful to benefit validly from a sacramental absolution given to a number of people simultaneously, it is required not only that he or she be properly disposed, but be also at the same time personally resolved to confess in due time each of the grave sins which cannot for the moment be thus confessed.
§2 Christ’s faithful are to be instructed about the requirements set out in §1, as far as possible even on the occasion of general absolution being received. An exhortation that each person should make an act of contrition is to precede a general absolution, even in the case of danger of death if there is time.

Can. 963 Without prejudice to the obligation mentioned in can. 989, a person whose grave sins are forgiven by a general absolution, is as soon as possible, when the opportunity occurs, to make an individual confession before receiving another general absolution, unless a just reason intervenes.

 

[puzzleannie]

I went to confession last week. I went to this with my sister-in-law tonight to see what it was like. Is it a mortal sin to go to communial confession?

since you have given no info on whether or not this service included general absolution, we can’t say, in any case, if something illicit was done it is the priest in charge who sinned, not the participants. If you were given general absolution, regard the entire experience as a guided meditation for the examination of conscience, and confess your mortal sins privately to a priest at the earliest opportunity (as in make an appointment today, there will likely be no confessions after today or tomorrow this week).

 

[puzzleannie]

Nope. There was what they called an ‘examination of conscience’ and a prayer for forgiveness after the homily. The ‘examination’ was a reading of questions that you were supposed to reflect on, and whether or not you were living up to these expectations. There was no communion, it was more like a service than a mass.

.

you still have not answered the question on which the entire discussion depends: was there a general absolution?

it is entirely beneficial and proper to have a communal service which includes liturgy of the Word (the proper term for "like a Mass but no communion) which includes prayer, song, and a guided examination of conscience, in preparation for individual confessions either at the same time, or later in the week.

 

[JimG]

There might have been individual confessions afterwords. Although it appeared that everyone left after the service.

Well, this is the key point. If there were individual confessions afterwards, it was just a normal, ordinary, valid, and licit communal penance service!

 

[thomasf]

At one point the priest said anyone wishing for absolution bow your head. I don’t know if that is what you mean or not.

I went to confession last week, like I said. I didn’t go last night intending for it to be another confession, just to experience the service.

 

[CarrieH]

Are you saying that there was no individual confession and absolution as a part of this communal penance service?? Every communal penance service I have ever attended included individual confessions and individual absolution.

I am a convert who went through RCIA about 10 years ago in a different (larger) city from where I now live. At the time, they were big on the general absolution services, and I actually made my confirmation and first communion following such a service. They would have some songs and readings, then we would silently meditate on our sins, and then the priest would give a general absolution, we would say together the act of contrition, and we were sent on our way to choose our own penance. That’s it. Later, when I realized that this was wrong and that I had indeed made my confirmation while in a state of mortal sin (although I didn’t know it at the time), I made a “real” face-to-face general confession of all of the sins of my life from the time of my young-adult baptism through the time when I started coming to real confession. What a beautiful, liberating, and grace-filled experience that was! I’m just sorry that I wasn’t properly instructed during RCIA, but I’m grateful that I had a chance to learn the truth and to make my confession when I did. Better late than never…but what if I had died before then? Now I go to confession about once a month and avoid the holiday rush during Lent and Advent. And I understand that next bishop in that city put a hasty end to those services.

 

[TomF]

At Mass in a parish in County Galway, Ireland last week, the parish priest said that confession was to be available for all who wished it after Mass. All that was necessary was to go forward to the priest, stand before him and say, “Father I am sorry for all my sins.” and he would bless the penitent and give absolution.

Nearly everyone in the church went forward in lines as in going to Holy Communion. There were actually two priests there, one a semi-retired priest of about 75 years age who I understand introduced this form of Penance in his own parish several years ago.

There was no individual confession of particular sins, as far as I know. I went forward, but questioned to my wife whether it was actually a valid form of the Sacrament, unless there was some special permission given by the Bishop. She was annoyed with my skepticism.

 

[puzzleannie]

Bear in mind, for those of you who have participated in services which end with general absolution, that you have done nothing wrong. You are not in charge of administering the sacraments, the priest is. If there is an irregularity (and don’t make assumptions, we don’t know what arrangement he has made with the bishop, or why) it is his fault, not yours. Just know that from now on if that happens (even if licit, such as in emergency, wartime etc.) you are obligated to confess your sins to a priest at the earliest opportunity.

 

[starrs0]

At Mass in a parish in County Galway, Ireland last week, the parish priest said that confession was to be available for all who wished it after Mass. All that was necessary was to go forward to the priest, stand before him and say, “Father I am sorry for all my sins.” and he would bless the penitent and give absolution.

Something similar happened to me at my parishes Penance Service two of the four priests were running late so our parish priest had people write there sins down on paper and then give them to either him or the visiting priest and then get absolution until the two late priests arrived (which they eventually did about 15 min later) but this practice continued with my parish priest even after the fact they had arrived. I waited and went to confess like normal the whole idea seemed very strange to me. I’m assuming that this sort of thing of writting ones sins down for absolution isn’t to be done right?

 

[JimG]

At Mass in a parish in County Galway, Ireland last week, the parish priest said that confession was to be available for all who wished it after Mass. All that was necessary was to go forward to the priest, stand before him and say, “Father I am sorry for all my sins.” and he would bless the penitent and give absolution.

Good grief, I thought that the varieties of craziness concerning this sacrament had begun to die out, but apparently not.