Getting to confession during COVID

[MadeAnew]

Has anyone else’s parish been overwhelmed during the pandemic? I saw an option for virtual confessions during this. My Parish is so overwhelmed that some people are still waiting a month out to book their confession. What do you think if the virtual confession option?

 

[humilityseeker]

What do you think if the virtual confession option?

Is this a Catholic Parish? If so there is no virtual confession ever, at all. It must be in person.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I saw an option for virtual confessions during this.

This is not permitted by the Church. If you see this and it’s an actual Catholic church, you should report it to your bishop.

We are not overwhelmed here, but that could be because our bishop decided to keep Confession going during the public Mass shutdown. Therefore, we have confession every week like normal on the usual schedules, at almost every area church, and there are a lot of churches here.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Our Bishop expanded Confession times back in March. Since March, the Church is open every day for Adoration and has Confession hours every day, when before it was only 3 hours per week.

 

[1ke]

Has anyone else’s parish been overwhelmed during the pandemic?

can you expand on what you mean by overwhelmed?

Our pastor makes confession available before mass, and he is traveling to people’s homes to do confessions primarily for the older people. He just does it from a social distance in their home.

I saw an option for virtual confessions during this.

This is not a valid confession. Not sure where you saw this.

My Parish is so overwhelmed that some people are still waiting a month out to book their confession.

Speak to your pastor about what can be done as far as expanded times.

What do you think if the virtual confession option?

It isn’t valid.

 

[twf]

We are not overwhelmed here, but that could be because our bishop decided to keep Confession going during the public Mass shutdown. Therefore, we have confession every week like normal on the usual schedules, at almost every area church, and there are a lot of churches here.

Likewise. Our cathedral has really gone the extra mile. They’ve renovated the old confessional booths to be “covid-friendly”. You now must enter the confessionals area using a separate side door, with no access to the rest of the nave. Only one penitent may enter at a time…you then proceed into the confessional where the kneeler has been removed - standing only - and there is a opaque plexiglass panel between the penitent and the confessor…no air flow and complete anonymity. Extra ventilation has been built into the confessional as well… but you still have complete privacy.