Confession: Anyone have this experience

[DaveBj]

Our local priest does most confessions by appointment, but it’s not at all easy to get an appointment.

There are scheduled confessions every Saturday afternoon (don’t know the exact time, but it’s before the 5:30 Mass), but that’s hard for me to get to because of my work schedule.

Thank God for the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament–confessions every day but Friday and Sunday (I think) at 1:30 PM.

DaveBj

 

[mercygate]

It is not uncommon in my neighborhood (with outstanding exceptions) for a priest to show up during scheduled confession time and leave after 5 minutes if nobody appears.

 

[contemplative]

mcliffor:

In Poland, which is STILL a Catholic country, they have confessionals on the street for people walking by who need to be absolved.

Confessionals on the street? I’d like a picture of that. I believe you. I would just like to see what one looks like because my imagination has a hard time picturing it…a telephone booth?..a hot dog or magazine stand?..but not a confessional.

I did find this about Poland

At every turn you’ll find confessionals at which the faithful eagerly queue, while numerous offering boxes outside key doorways and dedicated to one saint or another, comfortably finance the upkeep of the spectacle.

Speaking of this issue, I once was talking to a non-Catholic friend of mine. I told him that I had missed Mass and wanted to go to confession ASAP in case I died (secondary contrition). He laughed and told me that Catholic’s spiritual lives reminded him of a video game. I didn’t know what to say

I don’t play video games so I really can’t wrap my imagination around this one either.

 

[mcliffor]

mercygate:

It is not uncommon in my neighborhood (with outstanding exceptions) for a priest to show up during scheduled confession time and leave after 5 minutes if nobody appears.

Our pastor never shows up. Well, he might if he finished all nine holes in time, but that’s usually not the case.

 

[ChemicalBean]

mcliffor:

Speaking of this issue, I once was talking to a non-Catholic friend of mine. I told him that I had missed Mass and wanted to go to confession ASAP in case I died (secondary contrition). He laughed and told me that Catholic’s spiritual lives reminded him of a video game. I didn’t know what to say.

That is kind of a funny analogy! I don’t play video games too much anymore but I still have my old-school Nintendo with me, and I used to LOVE to play Super Mario Bros.

Every 100 coins earned an extra life (a 1UP, whatever that meant). Once in awhile, if you knew the right spots, you could bump a brick and out popped a 1UP mushroom that you had to jump on to get an extra life. And you needed those extra lives, because every once in awhile you’d get killed by the koopa-troopers, or you’d make a bad move and fall into a hole and die. The game would end there, unless you had an extra life stored up, and then the game would resume at a place a little ways behind where you died.

Your story kind of matches that. You are in some kind of sin (territory where it’s easy to fall into a hole), you missed mass (darn, I just missed that row of coins and I am so close to 100!),
but look - there’s a confessional there on the streetcorner! (but it’s okay, 'cause I’ve played this game lots of times before and I know there’s a brick ahead with an extra life!)

Gee, this might make good fodder for somebody’s homily. I’m impressed with myself

 

[Amado_de_Dios]

Any of you ever had this experience? It happened to me last Saturday.

My soul was rieking of… well, you know… and I decided not only to go to confession but to seek counseling from the local priest. So I went, and counseling came first. Everything went fine (I found mercy instead of a beating with a stick ). Then the pastor asked me if I wanted to confess right there in his office or in the confessional. Being a traditional catholic I chose the confessional. After getting a load of my back, I was asked to make an act of contrition. Usually, when praying this the priest is making the absolution. But in this case, the priest prayed with me the said act of contrition. Then, he said other prayers, which I didn’t know, and finally he said “go in peace”. However, there was no absolution. That means I came out of there the same way I went in.

I had only gone to him for confession a few times before, and I remember that last time (the one before this one) the absolution was inaudible. Didn’t make much of it then, as it was probably my bad hearing. But this time there were no moments of silence, so I know he did not give me absolution.

Anyway, the next day I went to another church and confessed again ( ).

Please, Lord, have mercy on us and repair your Church!

 

[Chris_Jacobsen]

The church I attend has confession scheduled once a day Sunday through Friday, and twice on Saturday.

A priest is obligated to hear confession upon request. I have never had a priest turn me down.

 

[Jaypeeto4]

Saturday afternoon confessions at my parish are scheduled to begin at 4:00 and last until 4:45 pm., and my pastor used to keep to the schedule. He would come in at 4, and sit there for nearly an hour, week after week, with nobody showing up. Now he shows up at 4:30 or 4:40, and there may be 1 or 2 people, MAXIMUM, waiting, on most Saturdays.

We also have a periodic problem with inconsiderate parishioners who show up in large numbers 5 minutes before the start of mass on Holy Days of Obligation, and want to have their confessions heard at 4:55pm. When I go to confess, I make it a rule to be sitting outside the confessional at about 4:30.

One thing I’ve noticed: most white Americans don’t even bother with confession at my parish. It is the Hispanics who show more respect for the sacrament.

Love, Jaypeeto4 (aka Jaypeeto3)

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

1. I think it’s horrible for a priest to refuse to hear confession without appending, “…because I need to hurry over to X so I can give him the last rites” or else, “…but please raise your hand during Mass if you think you are about to die.” Basically, either because something else is (even more) urgent or he knows you’ll be around still when he’s done performing another duty.
2. Just to offset the bad with some good, my college roommate’s home pastor always carries a stole with him so that not only will he always hear your confession, he’ll always be able to do it by the books, too.

 

[Regi]

I remember being at some sort of reception at our Cathedral with my family several years ago. Our wonderful (now deceased) Bishop ws there, too.

My brother, who I think had been away from the church for some time, was moved to ask the Bishop to hear his confession. He did! They left the reception, went upstairs and he heard my brother’s confession - my brother has been a devout Catholic ever since and I am sure the Bishop being available when he was needed contributed to that.

It was inspiring to me as well!

 

[Al_Masetti]

I have never been refused confession even at “awkward” times. Some priests even LIKE to hear Confession while strolling around the grounds. One person had his confession heard on a city bus. If I was a priest and if someone wanted to confess… he would have my immediate attention… I don’t know when that person is going to die… from natural causes or an accident or some other cause… I just don’t know… so I would be as responsive as possible.

However, I have had the “opposite” situation… The priest said the daily weekday Mass and was milling around at the back of the chapel amiably chatting and someone asked him to hear their confession… and he agreed immediately … and a line formed.

The problem was he was supposed to do the Stations of the Cross… [it was during Lent]… I was also milling around chatting… and the Head Lector said to me: “Al, you have to do the Stations of the Cross”. There were other Eucharistic Ministers hanging around… but I was the only one trained specifically to do Communion Services… but I had never done the Stations of the Cross.

The priest just looked at me and started hearing confessions… and (with assistance) I conducted the Stations of the Cross…

So, I guess the priority is: Confessions first.

… I guess … Ya had to be there.

 

[Elzee]

Adam S:

Job accepted

No seriously, im entering the seminary very shortly, and i have the greatest reverence for the holy Mass and the sacrament of Confession - without those two theres no point in an ordained priest, so it needs to be at the centre of every priests life.

But my point is, ive spoken to a lot of young seminarians and 98% are very orthodox. From my experience, all the daft liberal priests are dying out now, and replaced by a fresh wave of orthodoxy. I was having a drink the other day with a seminarian i know, and we both promised to each other that we make sure that confession was freely available and encouraged at our parishes!! Our first vows!!!

Unfortunately we live in England…

Well, if you ever want to come to the States…! Sadly, they need you in England just as much or not more, probably. God bless you!

 

[Seamus]

Michelle Arnold:

I have it on good authority that Michelle Arnold was assuming the best of priests collectively rather than focusing on the regrettable failures of a few individual priests. Perhaps she should have used the qualifier “should” rather than “would.”

I wouldn’t be too hard on Michelle. Next year I’m going to make a run for the presidency of the New Jersey Chapter of the Michelle Arnold Fan Club.

 

[Michael_C]

I usually make a appointment during the day and they always acomodate me. Once I cornered one of our priests right before Mass and he gladly heard my confession.