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Windmill
Guest
And people wonder why “Confessions by appointment only” never worked. The more available you make the Sacrament, the more likely it will get celebrated. Also, the wave of catechesis that is sweeping across the nation has informed a lot of Catholics how vital Reconciliation is to the spiritual life.
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RWMorris
Guest
I think this is awesome! I have had several Protestants ask me about the benefits of Confession.
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stbruno
Guest
In Nov. I attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in Columbus Ohio with 20,000 teens from across the nation. Teens…who for 3 whole days kept the 135 priests who volunteered to listen to reconciliation busy the entire time. It was face to face confession and a minimum of 65 priests were listening at any one time. I was overwhelmed by the faith of these young people. It just restored by faith in the church as well.
God bless our young church! We are alive and very well!
God bless our young church! We are alive and very well!
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masondoggy
Guest
I’ve always suspected that more Catholics would go to Confession more often if it was available more often. Saturday just doesn’t work for some people. And well, not everybody feels comfortable making an appointment.
I have a lot of trouble getting to Confession because DH works on Saturdays which means I would have to drag a very active toddler in there with me. :nope:
I think that parishes need to arrange their confession schedules so each day, there’s at least one church in any given area that has confessions scheduled. Why do 5 parishes within 5 minutes of eachother ALL have to have it on saturday at the same time? And most of the time, the lines are short as can be. Doesn’t make much sense.
I have a lot of trouble getting to Confession because DH works on Saturdays which means I would have to drag a very active toddler in there with me. :nope:
I think that parishes need to arrange their confession schedules so each day, there’s at least one church in any given area that has confessions scheduled. Why do 5 parishes within 5 minutes of eachother ALL have to have it on saturday at the same time? And most of the time, the lines are short as can be. Doesn’t make much sense.
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LilyM
Guest
I heartily agree. A critical factor in getting me back into confession after 12 or more years away from the Sacrament was seeing priests at one local church here who hear confessions almost the whole day on Sundays - even during Mass! And usually pretty well attended.
A few Sundays in a row seeing their dedication to the sacrament and most anyone would be moved to go more frequently, I think.
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stbruno
Guest
Here’s the best place to go for confession if you are in Chicago.
They advertise 11.5 hours of confession every work day.
stpetersloop.org/ministries.shtml And there is always a steady stream of people coming.
They advertise 11.5 hours of confession every work day.
stpetersloop.org/ministries.shtml And there is always a steady stream of people coming.
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quiet52
Guest
In my parish it’s difficult to get an appointment with a priest for ANY reason, let alone for Reconciliation. When someone calls asking to see a priest, the clerical staff asks for the reason you want to see him.
The 30-minute Saturday afternoon window is too difficult for me to make (and apparently the priest leaves early if no people are in line) – and it’s none of the secretary’s business – so, I confess with a priest in a neighboring parish. The sacrament is available half an hour before each weekday and Sunday mass there.
The 30-minute Saturday afternoon window is too difficult for me to make (and apparently the priest leaves early if no people are in line) – and it’s none of the secretary’s business – so, I confess with a priest in a neighboring parish. The sacrament is available half an hour before each weekday and Sunday mass there.
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THurifer2
Guest
A group went from our parish and that is one of the things they mentioned. A very large number of the kids at that conference were children of Gen Xers…which will also vastly improve things…It is only going to get better now that the boomers are having less effect on things and thier children seem to be moving on to another age group (college and beyond).In Nov. I attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in Columbus Ohio with 20,000 teens from across the nation. Teens…who for 3 whole days kept the 135 priests who volunteered to listen to reconciliation busy the entire time. It was face to face confession and a minimum of 65 priests were listening at any one time. I was overwhelmed by the faith of these young people. It just restored by faith in the church as well.
God bless our young church! We are alive and very well!
T
THurifer2
Guest
That is sad. Being the outgoing person that I am. I would March right in to the parish Office and with a VERY loud voice tell the parish secretary that he/she cannot ask why people want to see the priest for the very reason of confession.
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Joannm
Guest
I believe the receptionist has a right to ask. Our pastor is very busy and often has appointments to keep. Yet he will drop everything for a confession or an emergency. Any person coming in off the street who will not say why he or she wants to see the priest could be a salesperson who would be directed to the right person or sent away (we get a lot of them walking in), someone who needs money (who would easily be sent to the parish social ministry office), or someone who just wants to talk about a wedding (they would be told to make an hour appointment), or to schedule a baptism (the receptionist can handle that). Some people think the pastor or priest handles everything in the office and most things are easily handled by someone else and there is no need to see the pastor. But confession can only be done by the priest and the receptionists know to immediatly call the priest if someone requets it, that is of course if he is immediatly available.
There is nothing wrong with saying they want to see the priest for confession. People do it all the time around here. And our receptionists have a rule of confidentiality. They don’t go telling anyone that so and so came in for confession today.
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Phemie
Guest
Yes, as the secretary it’s my responsibility to see that the pastor is not disturbed needlessly. Usually I’ll ask if it’s something I can help with and will list a few things “marriage preparation? baptismal certificate? appointment?” I can’t count the number of times that the person has said “No, I need to speak to the priest” and then the call is returned to me by an annoyed pastor who’s being asked to do paperwork that is mine to deal with.
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Phemie
Guest
In our parish Reconciliation is officially for 30 minutes, starting 45 minutes before the anticipated Sunday Mass & the Sunday morning Mass and any other time by appointment. Unfortunately, our pastor refuses to show up that early, refuses to sit in the Reconciliation room and insists that if people want to confess they can ask. I keep reminding him that we have a right to confess anonymously and that if we have to go get him by the hand and lead him to the Reconciliation room in front of all the people gathered for Mass he has pretty much taken away any anonymity we might wish for. So far he’s totally ignored what I’ve had to say.
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THurifer2
Guest
The secretary has a very important Job. However the secretary is completely out of the confession equation. It is against church Law and teaching to allow anyone but the penitent the identity of one confessing. The secretary has absolutely no right at all to ask why someone wants to see the priest. If a person asks to see the priest then it is the secretaries job as servant of the parish to simply inform the priest that someone wants to see them. ANy priest who gets annoyed needs to go on retreat.
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THurifer2
Guest
I would be inclined to call him a 3:00 am…and ask for him to meet at the confessional…jussst kidding.
I am wondering if the Church should forbid confessions by appointment. It definately would eliminate the “therapy/counciling” notion of the sacrament. If a person is guilty of Mortal sin then they could wait until the next availible confession time…which should be more than once per week.
I am sure the priest would actually like the idea…because he would have much much much more free time since apparently 99% of Catholics must be going to confession by appointment…ya know the lines during reglular confession time are pretty much non existent.
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Phemie
Guest
The person need not say “I want to go to confession”, a simple “It’s personal” insures that I pass them on to the pastor. That could be anything from wanting to petition for a decree of nullity to wanting to invite him over for supper and as such is none of my business. But I’m supposed to ask if it’s something I can help with since it’s my responsibility to book appointments for pre-nuptial investigations (along with getting the paper work ready and telling them what they need to bring with them), baptismal preparation, etc.
It’s been my experience that any time I’ve called the pastor to tell him that someone wants to see him he’s asked me “What for?” because in most cases he’s not interested in making the trek from the house to the office if it’s something I can deal with.
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Phemie
Guest
I doubt very much that he’s acquiese, he’d say “Call back after 9 a.m.”
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THurifer2
Guest
It is against church law to deny confession to a Catholic in good standing.
Padre Pio would have hollered at a person for waiting so many hours…But we live in a different world nowadays.
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Joannm
Guest
What about the people standing in line for confession? Everyone else there knows that the person is there to go to confession. Also in the case of a walk in for confession, sometimes the person asks to go anonymously so the secretary can call the priest and ask him to go i nto the church and wait for the person in the confessional, then she can send the person over to the church.
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THurifer2
Guest
You are not supposed to take note who is in the confession line…and you are not to note the communion line.
I heard a priest say one time that before and after both of those sacraments our heads should be bowed in prayer and we should not even be aware of those around us…
With that in mind the secreatary ASKS the person why they want to see the priest…The other people in line would never ASK why or even take note of who is there. COnfession is a PERSONAL act and personally I am TOTALLY oblivious to anyone around me if there is a line.
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