How often do you go to Confession?

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Mannyfit75

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This pertains to all Catholics.

How often do you go to Confession?
 
While I’m not Catholic yet, when I do, I’d go atleast once a week, if not everyday if I could. (My Italian great-grandmother did that, I’ve heard). Although, I’m not sure what I’d confess every single day. I’m a programmer, programmers aren’t known to be socialites and tend to stay in their room in front of their computer all the time while programming. 🙂
 
The real issue for me is can I get to Confession? Years ago when I was in high school there was a large Catholic church downtown which had priests in the confessional all day. It was never a problem to drop in after school on my way home.

My problem is that today Confessions are generally just on Saturdays. There is a parish here that offers Confessions on Wednesday before their 6 pm Mass. On Wednesdays my choir rehearses. The problem is twofold. Sometimes the priest doesn’t show at 5:30 and sometimes there are far too many people in line.

I could drive to my local parish (of which I am not a member) on Saturday but the “greeters” are there and very vocal and I have trouble praying in such an environment much less doing something like an examination of conscience. I’ve tried several times and I just can’t do it. These “greeters” are older than me (I’m 55) and I am astounded by them.

I’m glad to see all the people in line on Wednesday but it is a hit or miss thing. My cathedral parish offers daily Confession from 11:30 to the Noon Mass. When my office was downtown, this was not a problem. I used to go to daily Mass either at 7 or at noon. However, I’m now about 10 miles out from downtown and traffic precludes this. So Wednesday is my only option and it is a matter of sheer chance if I will get my Confession heard.
 
A poll such as this pops up periodically and I fail to see the need for such a thing.

Especially when the OP puts nothing up except for a request of how often you go to confession. As if it is anyones business how often anyone else goes to confession.

I will just post what the Catechism says.

1457 According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.” Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.
 
ByzCath said:
A poll such as this pops up periodically and I fail to see the need for such a thing.

Especially when the OP puts nothing up except for a request of how often you go to confession. As if it is anyones business how often anyone else goes to confession.

I will just post what the Catechism says.
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well… it could have been a poll with all the voters “visible”… that might have been interesting:eek:
 
Hello Mannyfit,

I average about once a month. I learned the hard way that letting stuff pile up on me just makes me put it off more.

Then everyone in line is mad at me for tying up the priest for 45 minutes.
 
I used to go weekly, but with the addition of kids in the household, I try for twice a month, get once a month. I hope this improves since my granddaughter made her first confession. We are now “confession buddies”.
 
hi mannyfit,

i go as often as i can when i can get to church. my health is lacking:( but the priest does come over to give me Holy Communion, so i get to confess when he comes over.

so for me, its about once a month.

good post!
 
I’ve been blessed with a couple of Chaplains at my university campus who are available during the week to hear confessions - so it’s pretty easy for me to go weekly. It’s a bit harder during the summer break when I’m not anywhere near campus, but with God’s grace I was still able to get weekly confession at my parish last summer, despite the enormous size of the congregation. God is good 🙂

I find weekly confession helps me to keep track of my patterns of sin more easily and be more aware of how often I commit particular sins, and what leads me to them. I recommend weekly confession to anyone who is able to go 🙂

God bless,

Karolina
 
I go to confession much more than monthly, probably closer to quarterly [something like 4-6 times]…it was such a big jump from 12 times to onsce a year…so I did not vote in the poll…

I guess on my worst :eek: years it is probably 3 times…

I know it should be more often…
 
It’s a poll whose results are meaningless.

The people who post to Catholic forums tend to be devout people who go to confession frequently. If you did a poll of the average Joe in the pew, I’m 100% sure you’d have a completely different set of responses.

So, what is this poll really telling you? That there are some people who go weekly, monthly, whatever…and so what about that?
 
mark_a said:
I average about once a month. I learned the hard way that letting stuff pile up on me just makes me put it off more.

Then everyone in line is mad at me for tying up the priest for 45 minutes.
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Have yourself prepared beforehand prior to your next confession so that you spend no more than five minutes in the confessional. Taking 45 minutes to confess your sins is unfair to the others waiting in the queue. More than likely half of those waiting won’t a chance to make their confession.

Maybe you ought to mention this to the priest the next time you confess your sins.
 
Does that really happen that people in line might not get to make their confession? I was in a long line for confession last night, and it was moving very slowly, because literally everyone in line had a long confession. We ended up going well beyond the posted time for confession. Do priests really say, “Sorry, times up.”???
 
jpjd said:
It’s a poll whose results are meaningless.

The people who post to Catholic forums tend to be devout people who go to confession frequently. If you did a poll of the average Joe in the pew, I’m 100% sure you’d have a completely different set of responses.

So, what is this poll really telling you? That there are some people who go weekly, monthly, whatever…and so what about that?
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The post has its purpose. Anything post here is for a purpose. It might not hit hard on someone, but it might give a thought to those who does not believe in Confession or who happens to surf around and find this thread. 🙂

Well, it still helps me.
 
They do if it is Saturday evening at 4:30 PM and they are schedued to preside at the schedued Mass that strts at at 5:00 PM :rolleyes: How could they do otherwise?
 
dulcissima said:
Does that really happen that people in line might not get to make their confession? I was in a long line for confession last night, and it was moving very slowly, because literally everyone in line had a long confession. We ended up going well beyond the posted time for confession. Do priests really say, “Sorry, times up.”???
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If it’s a one-priest church and that priest needs to stop to say Mass, you betcha. I was in the position once of literally being at the front of the queue when confessions were ended. Talk about frustrating :crying:
 
dulcissima said:
Do priests really say, “Sorry, times up.”???
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I can’t imagine him to say it like that.
But people can’t expect the priest to hear each individual without any sort of time schedule or else he could be stuck in the the confessional box till gone bedtime!
 
LilyM said:
If it’s a one-priest church and that priest needs to stop to say Mass, you betcha. I was in the position once of literally being at the front of the queue when confessions were ended. Talk about frustrating :crying:
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That would be frustrating.

Incidentally, my confession was longer than usual because I used that examination of conscience guide that you had posted in another thread a couple of weeks ago. That was more thorough than most others that I have seen. Thanks.
 
I go, bare minimum, 3 times a year, I think… I go twice a year to a Catholic youth retreat that offers confession during adoration, and I go when there is a penitential service with confession afterwards. I have also had one or two spontanious ones where I really needed to get something off my soul. So, I couldn’t really answer the poll… I’m somewhere between monthly and annually. ^^
 
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