How often does your parish offer confession?

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TheLittleLady said:
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steph03:
You need to make an appointment… It usually takes 2 or 3 weeks for them to give you an appointment in 2 or 3 months… So I tend to keep a list…
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I would suggest contacting the Vicar of Clergy. This is not acceptable, depriving people of the Sacraments for weeks and months.
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There are about 25 Catholic parishes in my city and they all seem to be doing the same thing on this as my parish.

An exception seems to be the FSSP that is about 45 minutes away… Although I am not into the TLM, I consider going (on occasion) just for the confession, but I am not sure how my Parrish would take it
 
I use the app MassTimes to find local confession times in my area (as well as mass times as the title of the app says)
 
nfinke said:
Priests have an obligation to make themselves available for arguably their biggest responsibility.
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The priests are makng themselves available, on Saturday at 2:30 pm. I’m sure if someone is working or has a legitimate other reason to not come then, the priest will meet with them by appointment.
 
you are lucky.

Available on demand only and with previousely made an appointment.

Maybe a penitencial group ritual before Easter, I am not sure.
 
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steph03 said:
An exception seems to be the FSSP that is about 45 minutes away… Although I am not into the TLM, I consider going (on occasion) just for the confession, but I am not sure how my Parrish would take it
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Why would they have to take it in any way? Who is “they”?

Being part of a parish is not to have chains.

They would only know if you said it to someone. And if you said it is to have a sacrament they don’t offer properly here, they cannot said anything.
 
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Sounds similiar to here. We also have a significant increase (I would guess over 100%) in daily mass attendance over the last 20 years.
 
Sure, the priest is very busy…but it’s a matter of priorities. The impression given in many parishes is that confession is less important than other things, like fund raising, just to pick one at random.
 
My parish has it, like most other local parishes from 4 to 4:30, then the one priest has the 430 Mass. I am uncomfortable with Mass right before he has Mass if there are others in line.

There is a Jesuit parish not far, which has 2 times a day, six days a week. But the men (God bless them) are elderly, and their numbers are dwindling, so I fear for the future
 
At my parish, we’ve got Confession for 45 minutes before Sunday 5PM mask, prior to 8AM Mass on Tuesdays and then again for an hour minimum Tuesday evenings. We have our single church pastor. He instituted Confessions beyond Saturday afternoons two-three years ago and tells us all to go to Confession, he doesn’t care about whether we go here or to another parish.

Fortunately we have another 6 or 7 parishes within a 15 minute drive, so I have options.

I have noted that the more the priest mentions Confession and offers Confession, the more it is used. The older I get, the more I believe one of the hallmarks of a good priest is his love of getting people to utilize Confession.
 
The problem with “confession by request” is that you have to identify your self. Sometimes you don’t mind, sometimes you do. I wonder how many actually avail themselves of this.

Given the evil trend in many places to legislate over the seal of confession, I predict a diminishing of face to face in those jurisdictions.
 
commenter said:
The problem with “confession by request” is that you have to identify your self. Sometimes you don’t mind, sometimes you do. I wonder how many actually avail themselves of this.

Given the evil trend in many places to legislate over the seal of confession, I predict a diminishing of face to face in those jurisdictions.
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I always confess behind the grill but I still ask the priest to hear my confession if I haven’t been able to make it at the scheduled time and need to confess.

No matter how anonymous I want to be, and even if I just slip in and kneel and he never sees my face, he’ll figure out it’s moi when I start my “Act of Contrition” in French, the only way it’s meaningful to me.
 
You can still be anonymous.

I have called the office, said “I want to schedule a confession at 1pm on Tuesday, can Father meet me at the confessional, please?”

I have never had an issue. With any parish I have done this at.
 
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steph03 said:
There are about 25 Catholic parishes in my city and they all seem to be doing the same thing on this as my parish.
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If there was one parish (with one priest) within 25 miles of you, or 2 -3 priests for the 25 parishes then I could perhaps begin to understand 2-3 weeks to get back to you for an appointment within 2-3 months but this isn’t the back blocks of Canada, outback Australia or rural Wyoming so there’s is no reason why you should have to wait so long. So what you need to do is make them work for their money - doorstep them if need be, grab them before mass and insist on making a time which isn’t months away! Religious orders can be quite helpful (since there’s more than one priest there) as can retired priests.
An exception seems to be the FSSP that is about 45 minutes away… Although I am not into the TLM, I consider going (on occasion) just for the confession, but I am not sure how my Parrish would take it.
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Well that’s their problem - you have a right to your choice of confession. I’m not into the TLM either but those folks at the FSSP sure are committed to hearing confessions!
commenter said:
The problem with “confession by request” is that you have to identify your self. Sometimes you don’t mind, sometimes you do. I wonder how many actually avail themselves of this.
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True but unfortunately sometimes that’s what it takes to get to confession. Of course, you don’t have to give your name and can always go to a priest who doesn’t know you. You also have the right to go behind a screen (where this option exists) - just tell the priest you’d like to do this and can you meet him in the confessional.
 
Exactly. Priests cannot be available 24/7/365. If scheduled confession times aren’t convenient, all it takes is making an appointment. I don’t understand that by having set confession times that priests are either shirking their responsibilities or neglecting their flock.
 
Toledo said:
I have noted that the more the priest mentions Confession and offers Confession, the more it is used. The older I get, the more I believe one of the hallmarks of a good priest is his love of getting people to utilize Confession.
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I agree with both statements wholeheartedly.
 
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