Confession at a Tridentine Parish

[babochka]

Sorry that your offended by the truth! You must be a very sensitive soul.

Well, my priest is a married man with 5 children. He hears confessions at his own parish at least twice a week, and one other regularly, plus helps out when needed at other parishes. I don’t think he’s ever played golf, but if he has, he certainly does not spend his precious free time on a golf course.

I think you paint with a very broad brush. Things aren’t as bad everywhere as you seem to have experienced. I can count at least 3 parishes within a 30 minute drive that have confessions on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

 

[JuantheTuba]

The focus was on staying out of hell, not increasing in holiness.

A prretty good reason I would say.

The revamped, re envisioned, whatever, Sacrament of Reconciliation is geared towards, focused at, not only being forgiven (the list of sins), but also increasing in holiness by accepting the graces in regularly confessing and attempting to* progress in our life in the Spirit. *

I don’t see why this means having to have “Fr. Bob” act like a pseudo-psychiatrist, or having to have “reconciliation rooms”, or alloting 1 hour for confession per week for 20 people while the first 2 or 3 people eat up the entire hour, or having priest tell you “oh that’s not really a sin anymore”, or unsual and vague penances like “do something nice”, etc.

 

[PaulinVA]

I don’t see why this means having to have “Fr. Bob” act like a pseudo-psychiatrist, or having to have “reconciliation rooms”, or allotting 1 hour for confession per week for 20 people while the first 2 or 3 people eat up the entire hour, or having priest tell you “oh that’s not really a sin anymore”, or unusual and vague penances like “do something nice”, etc.

I have never experienced this. In. My. Life. Ever. I’m amazed that you have had all of these things happen to you.

 

[JustaServant]

A prretty good reason I would say.

I don’t see why this means having to have “Fr. Bob” act like a pseudo-psychiatrist, or having to have “reconciliation rooms”, or alloting 1 hour for confession per week for 20 people while the first 2 or 3 people eat up the entire hour, or having priest tell you “oh that’s not really a sin anymore”, or unsual and vague penances like “do something nice”, etc.

Your disrespect for clergy is mind boggling. I’ve see chrisitan fundamentalists show more respect for a priest exercising the Sacrament of Confession.
I too have NEVER had this happen, to me, or anyone.
Makes me wonder…

 

[JustaServant]

That’s right go to confession to have your sins forgiven…NOT for spiritual direction! Find a councilor or a Spiritual Director already…get a grip!

You have what right to tell a priest NOT to give spiritual direction?
By what authority to you say this?

 

[JustaServant]

You want personal growth…go to a counselor…want your sins forgiven go to confession…your understanding of what confession is for is sadly lacking…more of the warm fuzzy church mentality…it really stinks!

No, what stinks is any notion that the Sacrament of Confession is just mechanics. Who are you to tell the Church heirarchy how to administer a Sacrament?

 

[agnes_therese]

Certainly freed Father up for an extra round of golf on Saturday afternoon…

I don’t know one single priest who plays golf. If yours does, maybe you should tell him you don’t think he should be allowed any recreation time. But it’s very rude and uncharitable to assume all priests are out playing golf instead of hearing confessions.

 

[JustaServant]

Hey I joined this conversation to make the point that the ethos of confession has greatly changed since Vatican II. I have also stated that confession was not a time for spiritual direction but a time to confess your sins and get on with life. I think your idea of confession has proved my point.

Now that being said…pre Vatican II one would wait in line for confession for at least a half hour. Confession was heard all afternoon Saturdays as well as before and DURING all Sunday Masses. Today maybe confession is heard for an hour on Saturday afternoon. Seldom before and never during Mass. Are things really better today with the current mindset? Certainly freed Father up for an extra round of golf on Saturday afternoon…but has it really helped those folks in the pews? Or maybe the church is just full of saints who don’t require confession anymore?

You have an incredible disrespect for clergy. Maybe one should worry more about their own sins rather than whether the priest is playing golf.

 

[UncleBill]

You have an incredible disrespect for clergy. Maybe one should worry more about their own sins rather than whether the priest is playing golf.

You have no idea if I respect clergy or not! I’m simply pointing out the difference in confession pre and post Vatican II!

If the priest is playing golf…good for him.

 

[JustaServant]

You have no idea if I respect clergy or not! I’m simply pointing out the difference in confession pre and post Vatican II.

You said:

Certainly freed Father up for an extra round of golf on Saturday afternoon…but has it really helped those folks in the pews?

It’s inaccrate and disrepectful.

 

[UncleBill]

You said:

It’s inaccrate and disrepectful.

Well if Father was in the confessional we wouldn’t be discussing his golf game now would we?

Get a grip!

Are you really trying to say that the new ethos about confession is making better Catholics? Or do you just like touting the company line?

 

[JustaServant]

Well if Father was in the confessional we wouldn’t be discussing his golf game now would we?

Get a grip!

Are you really trying to say that the new ethos about confession is making better Catholics? Or do you just like touting the company line?

Is disrespecing clergy an example of how well the old “ethos” worked?
I’m not “touting the company line”, I’m defending the Church (which you disrespecfully call a “company”) and her soldiers, the priests.

 

[UncleBill]

Is disrespecing clergy an example of how well the old “ethos” worked?
I’m not “touting the company line”, I’m defending the Church (which you disrespecfully call a “company”) and her soldiers, the priests.

Get real!

 

[Son_of_Niall]

Well if Father was in the confessional we wouldn’t be discussing his golf game now would we?

Get a grip!

Are you really trying to say that the new ethos about confession is making better Catholics? Or do you just like touting the company line?

Although I am more comfortable with the closed confessional, because that is how I grew up, I take no issue with face to face. Advice has always been given in the Confessional, long before Vatican 2.
And, I might add, what makes better Catholics are Catholics themselves. They are ones who must change thier behaviour after thier sins are forgiven. Whether closed or face to face.
I too find it bothersome to conjecture the priest is more interested in golf than in Confession. I have never known a priest like that.

 

[maryjk]

Well if Father was in the confessional we wouldn’t be discussing his golf game now would we?

Get a grip!

Are you really trying to say that the new ethos about confession is making better Catholics? Or do you just like touting the company line?

How about instead of us “getting a grip.” YOU start treating the clergy as we should. With respect, as the rules of this forum require.

 

[JuantheTuba]

I have never experienced this. In. My. Life. Ever. I’m amazed that you have had all of these things happen to you.

Your disrespect for clergy is mind boggling. I’ve see chrisitan fundamentalists show more respect for a priest exercising the Sacrament of Confession.
I too have NEVER had this happen, to me, or anyone.
Makes me wonder…

Yes, I have had each and every item I listed happen, if oyu think I’m making things up I could PM you Parish names and locations. Anyhow, I’m glad you haven’t had any of this happen, but, in addition to what I have experience, I have also heard and read from other people their stories, which means that, while it might not happen everywhere, the problems relating to Confession are widespread.

 

[Thomas_Casey]

CLARIFICATION

TC forum is a place where anyone can discuss Catholic traditions and customs that do not fit into one of the other forums.

Remember, TC forum is for the purpose of education. Discussions should lead to knowledge. It should be a place where people help each other to find answers, not a place to complain about the Church, bishops, Vatican II, the liturgy, pope or anything else that we dislike.

If I allow this, very quickly we lose those people who come seeking answers. These good people usually have had enough complaining and conflicts in their current situations and are looking to the Church and to us for a safe haven.

If you have a problem with how something is done or not done in your parish, take it up with your pastor or the chancellor of your diocese. Do not bring it to TC Forum. No one gains from gossip and disrespectful comments about others.

Everyone, please keep this in mind.

Thank you

 

[crazzeto]

Which one-- the former or the latter (I vote for the former) ?

Sorry =)

I’m not sure if it was just a specific priest but when I had my confession at a Tridentine parish that they wanted to know more about my sins and liked to ask more questions to sins that I’ve possibly committed but have not said.

 

[babochka]

That’s right go to confession to have your sins forgiven…NOT for spiritual direction! Find a councilor or a Spiritual Director already…get a grip!

I really wish we could put to rest this idea that confession is not ever, in any circumstances, to be used for spiritual direction. This isn’t to say that we need to be spending 20 minutes in confession every time, but a few minutes of advice pertinent to the confessed sins is entirely appropriate.

Do you really think that saints such as Padre Pio and St. John Vianney were such sought after confessors because of the great style with which they gave absolution? No! It was because they gave sound and helpful advice and direction to penitents. Spiritual direction, if you will.

I strongly recommend reading the 2011 Document “The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy: An Aid for Confessors and Spiritual Directors”.

Although the document does treat confession and spiritual direction separately, it is clear that the two are strongly linked.

It opens with the words of Pope Benedict: It is necessary to return to the confessional as a place in which to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but also as a place in which “to dwell” more often, so that the faithful may find compassion, advice and comfort, feel that they are loved and understood by God and experience the presence of Divine Mercy beside the Real presence in the Eucharist."

If you’d like to read the whole document, it can be found here: clerus.org/clerus/dati/2011-05/20-13/Sussidio_per_Confessori_en.pdf

 

[crazzeto]

Good confessors do what was pointed out earlier, they help the penitent with their examination of continence. This spiritual direction is invaluable in the sacrament.