Confiteor and Roman Canon are fading out of use

[OraLabora]

I think that’s an over-generalization. The very conservative abbey where I attend Mass does not use the very often. First of all, never on Sundays, because there are numerous visitors whose faith practice, to be polite, is shaky at best and are thus unlikely to have it memorized. But also, because the monks say the Confiteor every single day at Compline and the conventual Mass is geared to the needs of the monastic community, not the laity. So only hear the Confiteor occasionally at weekday Mass.

They use the formula that includes “we have sinned against you” (sorry I only know it in French). That certainly isn’t avoiding the fact that we are sinners. Occasionally at weekday Mass they use the third formula (trope).

 

[PeterT]

Where I live, in regards to the Confiteor it really varies by priest. Our former pastor would never say it on Sundays, but almost always said it during the Monday weekday Mass and at a couple of other weekday Masses. Our new parochial vicar says it at almost every Sunday Mass and on several weekday Mass too. Our new pastor says it occasionally on Sundays and occasionally on weekdays.

One of the puzzlements I have though with the Confiteor (and also with the Nicene Creed) is why most of the laity don’t follow the rubrics associated with those two prayers which are clearly written in the missalettes:

Striking one’s breast when saying, “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” in the Confiteor.

And bowing when saying the words, “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” in the Nicene Creed.

Many people at Mass are saying these prayers by reciting them from the missalette, and in the missalette my parish’s uses, the instructions to strike one’s breast (in the Confiteor) and to bow down (in the Nicene creed) is clearly written but most people ignore those instructions and don’t strike their breast and don’t bow down.

 

[Phemie]

I do both. Striking my breast comes naturally because that’s the way I learned it some 60 years ago. Bowing, OTOH, took a while to learn but a few liturgies at OraLabora’s abbey taught me a lot. I don’t think too many others do in my parish.

 

[CRV]

One of the puzzlements I have though with the Confiteor (and also with the Nicene Creed) is why most of the laity don’t follow the rubrics associated with those two prayers which are clearly written in the missalettes:

Striking one’s breast when saying, “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” in the Confiteor.

And bowing when saying the words, “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” in the Nicene Creed. … but most people ignore those instructions and don’t strike their breast and don’t bow down.

At my parish, in the OF, I am the only one (that I’ve seen, and I guess it is possible I haven’t noticed one or two others) with a Mass Missal in hand. On the back of our newsletters we have printed the readings and the Gospel for that Sunday. We also have pewcards with the Confiteor, Creed etc., but I haven’t seen others use these.

I assume they are either praying these prayers silently though mentally, or vocally (the few that do).

So without using either a Missal or pewcard - I would guess that the majority either don’t know they are supposed to, have forgotten they are supposed to, or think it is no longer to be done. Which all has the same results - only a few do this, including the bowing of the head at the names of the Trinity, the name of Jesus, the name of Mary and the name of the Saint whose memoria/feast/solemnity it is that day.

 

[OraLabora]

a few liturgies at OraLabora’s abbey taught me a lot.

Me too, in particular where the pinch points are in my back!

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

Unfortunately, I can relate to this kind of thing.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

One of the puzzlements I have though with the Confiteor (and also with the Nicene Creed) is why most of the laity don’t follow the rubrics associated with those two prayers which are clearly written in the missalettes:

We don’t have those missalettes at most parishes around here (although I’m familiar with the kind you’re likely using). However, I see about half to three-quarters of the parish usually doing this, if I even bother to notice. I must admit, I don’t pay much attention to the gestures of those around me unless they just stand out somehow.

Our Archdiocese, back in 2011, went to great lengths to teach the new updates to the translation and associated rubrics (whether they were changes or just reinforcing what should’ve been all along). I think this actually went over well in the long run. After that, we saw quite the high percentage of adherence. It’s faded a bit in the last 3-4 years, but it still seems to have “stuck” for the most part.