last in line

[emaggie]

I am a returning catholic and just had an experience that i don’t understand. I went to confession and the priest left before 2 penitents had confessed. If there was a time constraint would it be customary for there to be no alternative offered to the people who had not been heard? or is it up to the penitent to make other arrangements? I felt shut out and inconsequential but maybe there is something i just don’t understand.

 

[markomalley]

I am a returning catholic and just had an experience that i don’t understand. I went to confession and the priest left before 2 penitents had confessed. If there was a time constraint would it be customary for there to be no alternative offered to the people who had not been heard? or is it up to the penitent to make other arrangements? I felt shut out and inconsequential but maybe there is something i just don’t understand.

He may have had to get ready to celebrate the Vigil Mass.

(I don’t know about your situation, but in a lot of parishes, they will have confession from 3:30 to 4:30 and a Vigil Mass at 5:00 – times are, of course, approximate)

Honestly, if this is your first confession after being away from the Church for many years, you actually may, for your own benefit, make an appointment to have your confession outside of the normal times. I say this because, if you are like most of us, you may have a lot on you after even a few years away. If you make an appointment with your confessor to be confessed at a separate time, he could take the time to help you with your confession and make sure that you get everything that you’ve been bearing off your shoulders.

Alternatively, if you would prefer the anonymity of a screen, you can check with masstimes.org for confession times for neighboring parishes or your local cathedral. In many larger cities, there are parishes (or the Cathedral) that have daily confession times before the daily Mass.

One way or the other. Just remember that if the confessor leaves, it is most likely that he had other commitments (like Mass) to get to. (For all you know, he got a page while in there to go administer last rites to somebody dying in a hospital)

BTW, welcome back!

 

[JerrySeibert]

Maggie,
Welcome back!
Do not take what has happened personal. I would suggest making an appointment. Your Pastor could have had many pressing priorities that he had to attend to.
An appointment would be better as he would have the opportunity to hear your confession and possibly give some great spiritual direction as well.

Enjoy the journey.
God bless.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

I am a returning catholic and just had an experience that i don’t understand. I went to confession and the priest left before 2 penitents had confessed. If there was a time constraint would it be customary for there to be no alternative offered to the people who had not been heard? or is it up to the penitent to make other arrangements? I felt shut out and inconsequential but maybe there is something i just don’t understand.

Obviously that can be an unsettling experience. However please don’t think that you were being treated as inconsequential. There’s a couple of possibilities. One is that the priest didn’t realize there were more people for confession. The other is that he ran out of time. Perhaps he could have handled the situation differently, but that’s the unfortunate reality of imperfect persons trying to be the Body of Christ.

 

[JimG]

At my parish confessions are heard daily for 30 minutes before the afternoon Mass. The priest must leave the confessional five minutes before Mass begins, and he has no way of knowing how many people are left in line, since many people come in later than the 30 minutes prior to Mass start time. When it’s time for him to leave, he will ask the 2nd to last penitent (one side of the confessional) to advise anyone remaining in line that no more confessions can be heard.

Often, he will be able to return to the confessional after Mass to hear additional confessions, but sometimes prior commitments preclude this.

 

[Damase]

I am a returning catholic and just had an experience that i don’t understand. I went to confession and the priest left before 2 penitents had confessed. If there was a time constraint would it be customary for there to be no alternative offered to the people who had not been heard? or is it up to the penitent to make other arrangements? I felt shut out and inconsequential but maybe there is something i just don’t understand.

At my (Latin Mass) parish there are confessions during Mass up until the *Sanctus *(Holy, Holy, Holy). At that point, the priest stops hearing confessions and heads back to the sacristy to vest and help the celebrating priest distribute Communion. There is usually a long enough line that it is routine for the last ten or so people not to get a chance to have confession. The first time this happened to me I have to admit I was put out, but mostly because I figured that if I’d gotten to Mass earlier I wouldn’t have missed confession!

So usually if there is a time constraint, there won’t be an alternative offered. My suggestion is simply to come back the next day, or the next week, or even seek out another parish for confession the same day if you deem it to be a spiritual necessity. Whatever you do, don’t take it personally. If you approached a priest personally and asked for confession, I have no doubt that he would do whatever he could to provide that sacrament for you.

 

[Newbie2]

It would be nice for priests in such a situation to offer an explanation and advice for when the
“shut out” communicants can next make a confession.