Confession with no penance

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We will have a new pastor next month. This priest currently serves at another parish across town. I’ve been to weekly confession with him and he never assigns a penance. He once told me the fact that I came to confession is penance enough.

He follows the proper formula for absolution so I know that part of my confession is valid but what do I do for penance?

Your help appreciated.

Joe
 
Thank God for his mercy and his forgiveness, and perform some act of charity out of love and gratitude. Repeat as necessary while on this earth. 🙂
 
A similiar situation I ran into was I was going to confession to an elderly priest, and he totally forgot to ask me to do the act of contrition, and just went right into the absolution. I just prayed the act of contrition in the church after, since the words themselves are not required for validity.
 
In my opinion, God looks at what’s in our hearts, so if this priest says that coming is enough, that’s that. I’ve always thought that having to have the right words is too much like magic, in that it makes the words powerful, not the God Who responds to the invocation/plea/repentant cry/what-have-you. Give glory to God.
 
Just because you go to confession does not mean you will have pennance assigned. Just as not every hat has a rabbit inside it… Habit? Pennance, Act of Contrition.
I had a Priest once tell me, “You obviously have done your Pennance by carrying the guilt of this for so long.” I was one of them who had not been to Confession in years. I have since learned, what is in your heart is what concerns God.
Say an Act of Contrition if you feel you need, say an Our Father. Not because it is required but, because it is pleasing to God the almighty Father.
I feel that means more to him than if requested by a Priest.
 
I do not like the way I posted that and think at have been in heresy at the time. Please disregard my post if anyone should read this.
 
vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_19660217_paenitemini_en.html

Therefore, the Church, while preserving—where it can be more readily observed—the custom (observed for many centuries with canonical norms) of practicing penitence also through abstinence from meat and fasting, intends to ratify with its prescriptions other forms of penitence as well, provided that it seems opportune to episcopal conferences to replace the observance of fast and abstinence with exercises of prayer and works of charity.

In order that all the faithful, however, may be united in a common celebration of penitence, the Apostolic See intends to establish certain penitential days and seasons(63) chosen among those which in the course of the liturgical year are closer to the paschal mystery of Christ(64) or might be required by the special needs of the ecclesial community.(65)

Therefore, the following is declared and established:

I. 1. By divine law all the faithful are required to do penance.
 
Catholicben said:
A similiar situation I ran into was I was going to confession to an elderly priest, and he totally forgot to ask me to do the act of contrition, and just went right into the absolution. I just prayed the act of contrition in the church after, since the words themselves are not required for validity.
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I have never heard of any priest asking the penitent to say an act of contrition. That is automatic. You either say it at the same time the priest starts to give absolution or you say it after Confession in the Church before you leave.
Penance is different from an act of contrition. It is certainly unusual for a priest not to give a penance but you are free to do one yourself, e.g. an Our Father, or Hail Mary etc.
 
Trust what Father says. If he assigns no penance, you have no penance. It’s at his discretion.
 
My regular priest doesn’t assign a penance either. That’s ok. I usually make up my own.

Another priest I went to asked me to take the first opportunity to do someone a good favour. That was a nice change.

Yet another priest asked me to give up something for the month of November when I told him that I had come to confession for the benefit of souls in Purgatory for All Souls Day. I thought that displayed real inspiration.

In the old days it was just so many Our Fathers or Hail Marys, which is fine too of course.
 
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