How often and for how long was confession offered traditionally?

[Damien88]

After moving to another place for my study and for almost three years, never once I’ve seen our parish priest offer any confession before mass. The priest always stay inside his house next to the parish church and only come out 5-10 minutes before. I even asked the priest once for confession once after mass and he just said “no” because he did not have time to offer confession

 

[Seamus_L]

Confession is something we definitely need more of these days and unfortunately, while I’ve seen a lack of availability in many parishes, I’ve also seen parishes where 2 priests have there lights on and only a handful of people bother confessing.

                                 I live near a very large modern suburban parish, and while I don't attend mass there, I do occasionally go there for confession on Saturday afternoon. Sadly, in a church, that sometimes get's 3000 mass attendees Sat-Sun, I've sometimes noticed less than 10 at confession on the only day it's offered. Sometimes it might be twice that number, but I've already noticed sometime ago that half the people are the same ones who come every week, and a couple are from other parishes.

                                What really needs to be taught is that going to confession is not optional.

 

[Dorothy]

We need to be catechized anew about the graces of this Sacrament!

 

[Lucky7]

We need to be catechized anew about the graces of this Sacrament!

But I’m learning that homilies are not the place for catechesis. …that this has never been the case…that preists are not taught to do this. But…we still need catechesis. So how does that happen wehn most Catholics don’t take advantage of any classes, retreats, etc outside of Mass?

 

[Dorothy]

But I’m learning that homilies are not the place for catechesis. …that this has never been the case…that preists are not taught to do this. But…we still need catechesis. So how does that happen wehn most Catholics don’t take advantage of any classes, retreats, etc outside of Mass?

Very good question! Maybe in the Church Bulletin with a letter from the Bishop of our Diocese?
Maybe at a parish mission?

And, as I type those two suggestions something comes to me. Not everyone takes seriously the things they read in the Sunday bulletin, and not everyone who can benefit comes to parish missions! (which only take place once a year, if even they have one!)

So what is left? The way I see it those who are blessed with the faith and are always looking to increase the life of the Lord in their own lives need to pray and make sacrifices for those who are not turned on to their faith in that way.

I am sad that the church is not packed, or even half full when Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is offered. I am aware that many cannot come because of the duties of their vocation (small children, work, illness), but there are many who can make a bit of a sacrifice to do so. I see it that it is up to us to grow in the holiness of the Lord in order to attract others to come more deeply into the faith. Our own Catholics need evangelizing as much as those who know a little about Jesus Christ, and those who never heard of Him at all.

 

[ajeff]

Thank you for this thread. I really needed to go to confession yesterday. I arrived about 5 minutes before it started and waited in line (thank God there was a line!!!) . Someone who was young (18) was in the confessional for quite awhile. I kept thinking _Thank God for a lost sheep returning. There was another person before me and I felt relief that I would be able to go to confession since there was time before Mass ( a half hour). When the person completed I was met by the priest who said that time was up. A visitor was in our parish and he had to meet with the person. I was dismissed.

My first reaction was to be hurt and confused. I had prepared for the confession and was in dire need. Then I realized what it would be like if we did not have priests. I realized that I needed to pray for vocations. I realized that I needed to thank God that so many people in my parish were going to the Sacrament. We do need to pray that all of us receive it more. God bless the good priests who offer us the Lord’s gift.

P.S. My priest did offer to see me after Mass. I was not able to receive Communion but I was so thankful for his offer.

 

[PatriceA]

Because I just came back from visiting Montreal where I visited the beautiful Basilica of Notre Dame. I needed to go to confession and it was only offered for **15 minutes **prior to Mass on Saturdays (which I could not make because of the schedule to return to the US).

Um, WHAT? Seriously, I can’t take this anymore. I’m scratching my head here over and over again every time I see stuff like this. This is pathetic. Where is the focus on the Sacrament of Reconciliation? What is happeninng in our Church? And why isn’t anything being done about it?

And please don’t tell me that I’m being arrogant over this.

Well to answer the question in the thread title, the parish I grew up in still has the same confession schedule that was in place when I was born…11am-Noon and 30 minutes before the Vigil Mass every Saturday. That’s been the schedule for 40 plus years.

I live in town of about 50,000 with seven parishes. Most follow a similar schedule as my childhood parish with the exception of one that now offers confession on Monday evenings 45 minutes before the 6pm daily Mass.

 

[Dorothy]

Thank you for this thread. I really needed to go to confession yesterday. I arrived about 5 minutes before it started and waited in line (thank God there was a line!!!) . Someone who was young (18) was in the confessional for quite awhile. I kept thinking _Thank God for a lost sheep returning. There was another person before me and I felt relief that I would be able to go to confession since there was time before Mass ( a half hour). When the person completed I was met by the priest who said that time was up. A visitor was in our parish and he had to meet with the person. I was dismissed.

My first reaction was to be hurt and confused. I had prepared for the confession and was in dire need. Then I realized what it would be like if we did not have priests. I realized that I needed to pray for vocations. I realized that I needed to thank God that so many people in my parish were going to the Sacrament. We do need to pray that all of us receive it more. God bless the good priests who offer us the Lord’s gift.

P.S. My priest did offer to see me after Mass. I was not able to receive Communion but I was so thankful for his offer.

I am so glad it worked out well for you, and that you did not succumb to being hurt and confused. It was a grace-filled moment that came to you! God bless you on your journey with Him.

 

[Joannm]

**If I ever (GOD willing) became a Priest, I would give my parishioners and the church my emergency cell number. My policy would be:

If I’m available, please come in. I wouldn’t be concerned if it’s 2:00 in the afternoon, or 2:00 in the middle of the night. If I could give an opportunity to hear a confession (Provided I wouldn’t be saying MASS, on vacation, or on a sick call) then I’ll do it. If it bothered you enough to come to me at 2 in the middle of the night, there must be a good reason. If I were to judge there isn’t, then it’s a sacrifice I could make for The Holy Souls and Our LORD. **

I would think twice about giving your personal phone number out to parishioners. They will call you for anything and everything. People call the rectory saying they need to talk to a priest when the woman at the desk can easily handle what they need. You will get many calls of complaints too. Most priests have an emergency pager that has an answering machine so the priest can determine if it is something he needs to respond to right away or it can wait until morning or later in the day.

 

[babochka]

But I’m learning that homilies are not the place for catechesis. …that this has never been the case…

This confuses me, and perhaps I’m misunderstanding the use of the word catechesis. or maybe it is an East/West thing. There is a famous Easter homily, read at nearly all Byzantine (Catholic and Orthodox) parishes by St. John Chrystostom. It is known as “The Paschal Homily” or “The Catechetical Homily”.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschal_Homily

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote in SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS:

“The catechetical and paraenetic aim of the homily should not be forgotten. During the course of the liturgical year it is appropriate to offer the faithful, prudently and on the basis of the three-year lectionary, “thematic” homilies treating the great themes of the Christian faith, on the basis of what has been authoritatively proposed by the Magisterium in the four “pillars” of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recent Compendium, namely: the profession of faith, the celebration of the Christian mystery, life in Christ and Christian prayer (143).”

It seems that the purpose of a homily is to teach the faithful how to live a Christian life. Every good homily will have aspects of catechesis in it. If the faithful are so uncatechized as to not know the basics of the faith, then they must be reached on Sunday morning, while they’re in the pews. The majority of Mass-attending Catholics don’t read encyclicals and have never looked at a copy of the catechism. They get what they get on Sunday morning. They can’t be taught how to live the faith if they don’t know the faith that they’re supposed to be living.

 

[babochka]

To answer the question posed in the title, I think there is no single answer as to how long Confession was traditionally offered. If your understanding of “traditional” was the US in the 40s or 50s, it is my guess that it was probably offered 2-3 hours on Saturday afternoon. That’s probably what fit for this culture at that time, but we shouldn’t be bound to something that no longer works for us. My own parish only offers Confession on Sunday morning, because we are a parish of commuters and that is when the parishioners and Father are both in town. He’ll also hear Confessions just about any time he’s asked. Padre Pio and St. John Vianney were known to spend long hours daily in the Confessional. I suspect in the middle ages in Europe, Confessions were scheduled and planned differently that they were in 20th century America. Suburban parish churches would be expected to be different than Cathedrals, which would in turn be different than monasteries. Rural parishes might have an entirely different setup. While I understand the desire for anonymity in making an appointment or just asking an available priest to hear your confession, “behind the screen” doesn’t necessarily offer anonymity. In past times (centuries past), when parishes were small and the parishioners well-known to the priest, anonymous confessions didn’t really happen. “Traditionally”, one was required to confess to one’s own parish priest. It was presumed that he knew exactly who you were. Byzantine churches don’t do confessions behind the screen, but even if we did, my priest would know exactly who he was talking to if I, or any of his parishioners, came to confession.

What I’m saying, is that this isn’t something we should look to tradition to solve. We need to know what works in our society right now. A person is more likely now that in times past to be working a non-standard schedule, which might include working evenings and Saturdays or even Sundays. I think parishes should co-ordinate with those parishes in the surrounding area and offer confessions at non-traditional times, such as Tuesday evenings in one parish, Thursday mornings in another. It isn’t particularly helpful if every parish in town has Confession on Saturday from 3-4. Priests should preach about confession and make it known that they are available to hear our Confessions, even if we can’t make it on Saturday from 3-4. Be creative and make the Sacrament available!

 

[Lucky7]

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote in SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS:

“The catechetical and paraenetic aim of the homily should not be forgotten. During the course of the liturgical year it is appropriate to offer the faithful, prudently and on the basis of the three-year lectionary, “thematic” homilies treating the great themes of the Christian faith, on the basis of what has been authoritatively proposed by the Magisterium in the four “pillars” of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recent Compendium, namely: the profession of faith, the celebration of the Christian mystery, life in Christ and Christian prayer (143).”

Thank you for this. I read here on this site that homilies were not supposed to include catechesis. Perhaps that was wrong. I’m glad to hear that homilies are supposed to be catechetical. I hope that more and more priests take up this call…it’s needed sorely.

 

[Lucky7]

Thank you for this thread. I really needed to go to confession yesterday. I arrived about 5 minutes before it started and waited in line (thank God there was a line!!!) . Someone who was young (18) was in the confessional for quite awhile. I kept thinking _Thank God for a lost sheep returning. There was another person before me and I felt relief that I would be able to go to confession since there was time before Mass ( a half hour). When the person completed I was met by the priest who said that time was up. A visitor was in our parish and he had to meet with the person. I was dismissed.

My first reaction was to be hurt and confused. I had prepared for the confession and was in dire need. Then I realized what it would be like if we did not have priests. I realized that I needed to pray for vocations. I realized that I needed to thank God that so many people in my parish were going to the Sacrament. We do need to pray that all of us receive it more. God bless the good priests who offer us the Lord’s gift.

P.S. **My priest did offer to see me after Mass. ** I was not able to receive Communion but I was so thankful for his offer.

This response was key. I respect this priest.

 

[Seamus_L]

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, I heard that for a few days, some parishes were offering confession 24 hours a day.

 

[babochka]

I mentioned this post to my wife (because we both dislike the lack of confession times too), and she brought up another point (clever theologian that she is) that hasn’t been mentioned on this thread so far… isn’t anyone in the Church concerned anymore about the identity of penitents being withheld from the priest? If a penitent has a sin they wish to confess anonymously, which is perfectly lawful under Latin Canon law I believe, how can they do so if there’s only a fifteen-minute public confession time every Saturday?

I thought there used to be serious concern about this?

Latin Canon law required that the option of a fixed grille/screen be available for confessions. It doesn’t guarantee anonymity, which would be nearly impossible to do.

Canon 964 §1: The proper place to hear sacramental confessions is in a church or oratory.
§2: The conference of bishops is to issue norms concerning the confessional, seeing to it that confessionals with a fixed grille between penitent and confessor are always located in an open area so that the faithful who wish to make use of them may do so freely. **
**
§ 3: Confessions are not to be heard outside the confessional without a just cause.

**
**

 

[snowflakeinlove]

I was actually expecting at least an hour prior to mass. That is what I am used to. I was flabberghasted when the receptionist told me 15 minutes. I have never heard of such a thing. Maybe that’s how they do it in Canada.

Not at my parish. We have confessions an hour before every Mass, and a longer block on Saturdays, or by appointment. It’s great, it definitely encouraged me to go more often! It’s been such a blessing.

Most churches around here have it from 4-5 on Saturdays.

But I think it probably varied in the past from church to church as it does now

 

[Lucky7]

we shouldn’t be bound to something that no longer works for us.

What I’m saying, is that this isn’t something we should look to tradition to solve. We need to know what works in our society right now. A person is more likely now that in times past to be working a non-standard schedule, which might include working evenings and Saturdays or even Sundays. I think parishes should co-ordinate with those parishes in the surrounding area and offer confessions at non-traditional times, such as Tuesday evenings in one parish, Thursday mornings in another. It isn’t particularly helpful if every parish in town has Confession on Saturday from 3-4. Priests should preach about confession and make it known that they are available to hear our Confessions, even if we can’t make it on Saturday from 3-4. Be creative and make the Sacrament available!

I am totally with you on this. I’m not looking for things to look exactly like it did in the past. I’m just looking for the Sacrament to be made readily available for reasonable lengths of time.

You say we should do what works in our society right now. Absolutely. I would argue that what we’re doing, however, is insufficient and therefore, not working. I think your ideas sound like a great way to make sure that at least one church in the area is offering the Sacrament at an opportune time.

And I guess I’m terribly disappointed that such an awesome basilica that attracts so many visitors wouldn’t offer confession for much longer periods of time. Is it there just to tour …or is it there for so much more?

 

[babochka]

And I guess I’m terribly disappointed that such an awesome basilica that attracts so many visitors wouldn’t offer confession for much longer periods of time. Is it there just to tour …or is it there for so much more?

I’m with you on this one. It seems that a pilgrimage site, such as a Basilica, would have a very generous schedule of confessions and Masses. What is the point of a pilgrimage, but to bring us closer to God. Why build a beautiful basilica, design to lift up the soul to God, and then not be there waiting when that soul is moved to repentance?

 

[CB_Catholic]

I find it hard to believe that you are just noticing this now–it’s been this way for years and years and years, at least around here and anywhere I’ve traveled to. Are you perhaps new to the Church?

The only churches that have weekday Confessions around here are the ones that belong to
religious orders.

 

[GangGreen]

Most churches in my area have an hour window between 4 and 5 pm on Saturdays. Some also have an hour on Thursday mornings that they do. Otherwise it’s by appointment only. The 4-5 thing is fine in most cases. Although if you can’t get to a church at that time, then you’re out of luck.

The problem that occurs quite often is when you have people that take forever. If you have a lot to confess, great, but for some people it feels like they just spend twenty minutes in there just using the priest as a therapist. I can’t imagine even a person who hasn’t gone to confession in years taking more than 5 or so minutes. These insanely long confessions cannot be done during these limited blocks of time. There are lines waiting to get in and some people have things to do after the fact. If you want to pour your heart out to the priest, then make an appointment when people won’t be waiting in line behind you. The rest of us are there to confess our sins not for therapy sessions.