P
PatriceA
Guest
Exactly. I for one don’t want to get into a habit of observing and keeping count on when and how often my fellow parishoners receive the sacraments. Its none of my business.
- Status
L
Luna_Lovecraft
Guest
Word.
P
ProVobis
Guest
Confession, yes. But we generally receive (or don’t receive) communion within a community. There is no seal of communion.
U
Usige
Guest
For my part I was sharing observation not passing judgment. For all I know I do live in a community of saints. I don’t count people, but when serving as an usher it is fairly easy to observe if half the people remain in the pew and others completely empty. It’s not being the sacrament police, but sharing observations.
Why might it be important to share those observations? Primarily because I have heard a large number of priest that lament that the sacrament of reconciliation is almost forgotten in their parish. As a sacrament of healing, it is sad that people don’t avail themselves of this sacrament. I personally am interested because if there are parishes where parishioners regularly avail themselves of the sacraments it would be nice to know what drives the parish to embrace them. This is important when acting as a catechist so that we make sure that we aren’t raising one sacrament above another since they all impart grace.
For me it’s not about who, but rather why. I want to ensure that I am not giving short shrift to reconciliation (or any other sacrament) when teaching. If I can share others’ experience for around the globe that might help those that lament about empty confessionals in promoting this most blessed sacrament.
B
babochka
Guest
This is so very sad. I have heard Fr. Roderick (can’t spell the last name) from the Netherlands comment on that. How can one of the Sacraments be put in that category? I was shocked. He said that he read about Confession and approached the priest about it and the priest said “sure”, but couldn’t remember the words of absolution. I will pray for your Bishops and priests. Do you have communal penance services or anything?Ready for this? We don’t have confession. At all. The current explanation is it’s an old tradition that’s been done away with in the 1970’s so all converts and all children since that time are NOT instructed in it nor offered it (even before First Holy Communion). I have been told by several members they have never been to confession EVER. This is including those lay-people who officiate at our services.
H
Happy_B
Guest
I live in central London (England) and we have 2 priests and 4 Sunday masses + vigil (most churches have about 3 masses with no Sunday evening mass and there are no masses in the whole country {not sure about the foreign communities} in the evening on the weekdays so no chance for students or employed people to attend mass during the week). I’ve been going to this church for 4 years and noticed that almost the whole congregation goes to take communion on all the masses I went to. I noticed the same pattern in other churches in central London including the cathedral. Most churches in London offer confession on Saturdays for 30 or45 minutes but many of them don’t even state the time, you simply have to call up to arrange an appointment for confession.
I tend to go to cofess to the cathedral as they offer confessions every day for quite a few hours incl. Saturday and Sunday (as the Westminster cathedral is largly visited by tourists). On a ‘normal’ day there are about 5-8 people waiting. If it’s before Easter or Christmas, I’ve seen about 15-20 people and this is the biggest catholic church in the whole country (they usually use 1 confession box, occasionally 2). However if I go for confession to one of the churches outside the city centre, there is often only me waiting in the ‘queue’, or one other person (a little boy the other day and mum waiting for him nearby).
Also, a couple of people from our church laughed the other day that ‘many people they know from church don’t go for confession anymore’ but still take communion. This is all shocking for me and I’ve come to a realisation that people simply don’t take the confession and holy communion seriosuly!
I’m originally from Slovakia - small country in central Europe (neighbour to Poland) having moved to England 7 years ago. The situation over there is significantly different to England. There is a custom (that doesn’t exist in the UK) that many people confess on the first Friday of the month. So on that Friday you will see a large crowd waiting in front of the confession boxes. It would be about 20 people for one confession box and about the same number for the other confession box and this would be in most churches, not to mention that there’s about 5-15 people waiting for confession every single day (confessions there are offered before and after each mass which is mostly twice a day). Now, I won’t be brave to guess the number of people waiting for confession before Easter/Christmas/indulgences feast days*. There would usually be about 10-15 priests at a time and for each there will be a queue of 15-20 people at one time. These confessions before big feast days would last for about 7 hours for about 2 days and the churches are then simply so packed with queues of people that you have a difficulty to pass through! This seems like a utopia here in England! Among those people waiting for confessions you would find LOTS of teenage boys and girls which you hardly see in England! I’d also like to point out that the situation I describe is from a town of 20.000 people. Imagine, it’s pretty much like this in the whole country…and unimaginable in England!
*The priests don’t even talk about indulgences in England. I haven’t heard it once here and a lot of catholics over here don’t even know what these are!? When I then try to explain about it, they say, that ‘‘no, we don’t have these in England, it’s different here…’’
I tend to go to cofess to the cathedral as they offer confessions every day for quite a few hours incl. Saturday and Sunday (as the Westminster cathedral is largly visited by tourists). On a ‘normal’ day there are about 5-8 people waiting. If it’s before Easter or Christmas, I’ve seen about 15-20 people and this is the biggest catholic church in the whole country (they usually use 1 confession box, occasionally 2). However if I go for confession to one of the churches outside the city centre, there is often only me waiting in the ‘queue’, or one other person (a little boy the other day and mum waiting for him nearby).
Also, a couple of people from our church laughed the other day that ‘many people they know from church don’t go for confession anymore’ but still take communion. This is all shocking for me and I’ve come to a realisation that people simply don’t take the confession and holy communion seriosuly!
I’m originally from Slovakia - small country in central Europe (neighbour to Poland) having moved to England 7 years ago. The situation over there is significantly different to England. There is a custom (that doesn’t exist in the UK) that many people confess on the first Friday of the month. So on that Friday you will see a large crowd waiting in front of the confession boxes. It would be about 20 people for one confession box and about the same number for the other confession box and this would be in most churches, not to mention that there’s about 5-15 people waiting for confession every single day (confessions there are offered before and after each mass which is mostly twice a day). Now, I won’t be brave to guess the number of people waiting for confession before Easter/Christmas/indulgences feast days*. There would usually be about 10-15 priests at a time and for each there will be a queue of 15-20 people at one time. These confessions before big feast days would last for about 7 hours for about 2 days and the churches are then simply so packed with queues of people that you have a difficulty to pass through! This seems like a utopia here in England! Among those people waiting for confessions you would find LOTS of teenage boys and girls which you hardly see in England! I’d also like to point out that the situation I describe is from a town of 20.000 people. Imagine, it’s pretty much like this in the whole country…and unimaginable in England!
*The priests don’t even talk about indulgences in England. I haven’t heard it once here and a lot of catholics over here don’t even know what these are!? When I then try to explain about it, they say, that ‘‘no, we don’t have these in England, it’s different here…’’
Y
YellowRoses
Guest
We do have a service 1-2 times a year. But, sometimes they can’t get the service in on a Sunday so it’s held at an odd time. Plus you still need to go to confession afterward, if I am not mistaken. It’s better than nothing for those who are able to attend.
I find it heartbreaking myself. Imagine never knowing the beauty of reconciliation.
- Status