How often should I go to confession?

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Pedro1

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Hello to everyone wherever you are in the world

I have been a Catholic now for a couple of years. I am 44 and live in Luton, England. Still very much learning about the faith and I am grateful that I can share my questions. My wife and children are all practicing catholics as well.

Can anyone tell me how regularly I should be attending confession. I hear conflicting stories ranging from weekly to once per year, however our priest during homily once told us that if you do not attend at least once per year, then you are not a Catholic.

Thanks and may God bless you all

👍
 
Pedro1 said:
Hello to everyone wherever you are in the world

I have been a Catholic now for a couple of years. I am 44 and live in Luton, England. Still very much learning about the faith and I am grateful that I can share my questions. My wife and children are all practicing catholics as well.

Can anyone tell me how regularly I should be attending confession. I hear conflicting stories ranging from weekly to once per year, however our priest during homily once told us that if you do not attend at least once per year, then you are not a Catholic.

Thanks and may God bless you all

👍
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The norm is a minimum of 1 time a year, but as practicing Catholic, once month is a goal of mine. I would aim to try to go at least once a month if possible. How many times you during the year is up to you. Trying to exceed the minimum norm would help.
 
Pedro1 said:
Hello to everyone wherever you are in the world

I have been a Catholic now for a couple of years. I am 44 and live in Luton, England. Still very much learning about the faith and I am grateful that I can share my questions. My wife and children are all practicing catholics as well.

Can anyone tell me how regularly I should be attending confession. I hear conflicting stories ranging from weekly to once per year, however our priest during homily once told us that if you do not attend at least once per year, then you are not a Catholic.

Thanks and may God bless you all

👍
Click to expand...
You have to go at the very minimum of once a year. other than that it is realy your call. if you sin go to confession be it once a week or month. when in doubt go to confession.
 
Hi, and welcome, Pedro1!

The Church REQUIRES that, as a minimum, you confess your sins once a year. That is one of the precepts (laws) of the Church. However, if you want to grow in holiness, you will probably want to receive this wonderful sacrament much more often than that.

If you are struggling with mortal sins, go as often as you need to in order to stay in a state of grace. That could be as much as once or twice a week, or even more if things are really out of control.

If you’re not in a big struggle with mortal sin, you can determine for yourself what interval works best. Many people go once a month in connection with First Friday and First Saturday devotions. Many go weekly to keep tabs on venial sins and imperfections and to grow in holiness. I find, for myself, that weekly is too often and monthly is not enough. Ideally, I like to go every two to three weeks with the same priest every time. He knows me and my struggles and can help me make progress in loving God.

Betsy
 
Pedro1 said:
Hello to everyone wherever you are in the world

I have been a Catholic now for a couple of years. I am 44 and live in Luton, England. Still very much learning about the faith and I am grateful that I can share my questions. My wife and children are all practicing catholics as well.

Can anyone tell me how regularly I should be attending confession. I hear conflicting stories ranging from weekly to once per year, however our priest during homily once told us that if you do not attend at least once per year, then you are not a Catholic.

Thanks and may God bless you all

👍
Click to expand...
Merry Christ’s Mass
Welcome to CAF
 
Pedro1 said:
Hello to everyone wherever you are in the world

I have been a Catholic now for a couple of years. I am 44 and live in Luton, England. Still very much learning about the faith and I am grateful that I can share my questions. My wife and children are all practicing catholics as well.

Can anyone tell me how regularly I should be attending confession. I hear conflicting stories ranging from weekly to once per year, however our priest during homily once told us that if you do not attend at least once per year, then you are not a Catholic.

Thanks and may God bless you all

👍
Click to expand...
The Church requires you to confess your sins at least once per year if you are in a state of mortal sin. Your are not obliged to confess venial sins.

A lot depends on whether you have committed mortal sins and your own conscience. If you are in a state of mortal sin I would go as soon as possible. Although you do not have to confess venial sin I think they should still be confessed. If you only have venial sins once per month could be a good interval.

You need to remember that you cannot receive Holy Communion if you are in a state of mortal sin; that’s why I would recommend you confess these as soon as possible.
 
Once a year is a bare minimum. Lots of people make that once a year time during Lent.

Some people will go during Advent AND Lent.

I like to take my kids about every 3 months. Quarterly. Once a season.

I started out at about once every decade. Then went to once every year or two. Then committed to going yearly. Then quarterly. Then I began looking for chances to slip in between bringing. Now I aim for about once a month or so. Sometimes more often. Sometimes nearly two months pass.

Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will call you.

My pastor said once that confession is a “two-part miracle”. (before you go patting yourself on the back for going, he said) The first part of the miracle is that pull; that call to be reconciled (and us having the good sense to say yes to it). The second part of the miracle is, of course, the forgiveness of sin.
 
The requirement is to go once a year. That is the minimum. You can go everyday if you want.
 
Our last priest didn’t like that I went to confession as often as I did, which was about once a month or so. He told me it was wrong for me to go more often than I absolutely had to as otherwise I would be “hoarding grace.” Still haven’t figured out what that means. 🤷
 
People keep saying once per year is the minimum. That isn’t quite correct. You only have to confess once per year if you have committed grave (a.k.a. mortal) sin. If you’ve only committed venial sins you don’t have go to confession to at all. See Canon 989: “After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.” (Emphasis is mine)
 
Doesn’t the penitential rite within the Mass cover our venial sins? That’s what my sons tell me. If you go to Mass once a week, and don’t have any mortal sins to confess, you are getting the equivalent of confession once a week through Mass.
 
Personally, I go whenever I feel it is needed.
Sometimes, that can be only a week, or even several months.
Once a year is the bare minimum.
 
Matthew is correct. The requirement to go once a year to confess mortal sins is because we are required to receive at least once per year at Easter (so if you have to receive once per year and you have mortal sins you have to confess in order to receive in a state of grace).

The only recommendation I will give, and I am not being flippant, is that you need to go to confession whenever you are aware you are in a state of mortal sin.

Remember, mortal sin separates us from God. 2012 end-of-the-world folks not withstanding, Jesus could be coming back tonight, or tomorrow, or next Thursday. We should try as much as we can to be ready to meet Him with a glad heart and a clean soul.

If we set up a schedule, say “I’ll go every 6 weeks”, couldn’t we fall into the trap of thinking “It is OK to not be in a state of grace for the next 3 weeks, or 4 or whenever because it is not time for me to go yet”?:confused:
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Doesn’t the penitential rite within the Mass cover our venial sins? That’s what my sons tell me. If you go to Mass once a week, and don’t have any mortal sins to confess, you are getting the equivalent of confession once a week through Mass.
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Equivalent? No. There’s much more to confession than having one’s sins forgiven. There’s the good that self-examination does you. The act of humility in confessing the sins. The advice received from the priest. The specific sacramental grace to avoid the sins you confess. The formal reconciliation with the whole Church that only sacramental absolution brings. The increase of sanctifying grace that receiving the sacrament brings. None of these come with the forgiveness of venial sins at Mass. God offers these wondrous gifts to us in confession through the ministry of the Church. Why would one turn them down?
 
Matthew_Holford said:
People keep saying once per year is the minimum. That isn’t quite correct. You only have to confess once per year if you have committed grave (a.k.a. mortal) sin. If you’ve only committed venial sins you don’t have go to confession to at all. See Canon 989: “After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.” (Emphasis is mine)
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On the other hand, I find it difficult to believe that someone would be able to go through a whole year without a grave sin. Unless you are a child.
 
ConstantineTG said:
On the other hand, I find it difficult to believe that someone would be able to go through a whole year without a grave sin. Unless you are a child.
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Why not? Given that the three conditions must be met in order for a sin to be mortal, I would say that yes, one can go a whole year without committing a mortal sin. That is not to say that the sin isn’t grave, but you have to know it is a mortal sin and consciously decide to do it anyway. I am not saying that you shouldn’t go to confession if you realize that what you did is gravely wrong, but the culpability might not be there.
 
ConstantineTG said:
On the other hand, I find it difficult to believe that someone would be able to go through a whole year without a grave sin. Unless you are a child.
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On that point I agree. While not impossible I think it would be difficult. I am not a proponent of doing the minimum. I was just clarifying what Church law says - once a year for grave/mortal sin, rather than just once a year with no qualification. I would recommend regular confession to anyone, even if they’ve only got venial sins to confess.
 
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