Making Confession Easier

[Patrickulating]

I hope a few pastors read this. I have noticed a few things that make it harder for me to go to confession. I have even put the sacrament off for later a few times. I wish my pastor would do the following:

1. Be prompt. By that, I mean be in the confessional and ready to go within a few minutes of the scheduled starting time. If I wanted to go to confession face-to-face, I’d probably go to the rectory for confession. If you are bored sitting in the confessional when there is no “action,” bring a book.
2. Have some music playing lightly outside the confessional to drown out any sound from inside the confessional. Churches have notoriously good acoustics. A boom box with gregorian chant would not only set the mood, but also help protect the seal.
3. In our church the confessional is one of those two-seaters. It is in the back of church, adjacent to the pews. While common sense and courtesy dictate that one should not sit near to the confessional, many people --at least in our parish-- lack these traits. Rope off ten rows to insure privacy.

Anyone else have any ideas on making confession more easily available?

 

[Woodstock]

Offer confession before Sunday liturgy.

Offer a variety of times including morning before work hours, over lunch break, and evening after work hours throughout the week. 15 minutes three times a day is better than 45 minutes once a day, and if no one shows up you had 15 minutes of prayer time.

Offer childcare at least once a month and preferably more often.

Explain and reference confession during homilies.

Have a simple guide to confession available on your website and in your narthex which explains how to prepare for confession and how to confess.

 

[lak611]

Offer confession before Sunday liturgy.

Offer a variety of times including morning before work hours, over lunch break, and evening after work hours throughout the week. 15 minutes three times a day is better than 45 minutes once a day, and if no one shows up you had 15 minutes of prayer time.

Having confession available other than on Saturday afternoons is a great idea. I often go to another church besides my own because Saturday afternoon is sometimes not convenient.

Another suggestion I have is that the priest should remain available during the entire time confession is scheduled. If confessions are supposed to be heard from 3-4 pm, and nobody is there at 3 pm, that doesn’t mean that he should leave at 3:30 pm. Someone may still come later.

 

[Beautiful]

I hope a few pastors read this. I have noticed a few things that make it harder for me to go to confession.

I can tell you what makes confession easier for me.

My confessor allows a solid 20 minutes per person. A simple check on the sign up sheet insures me time.AHHHH! How nice is that? In the old days I’d rush in and out as though in a heavily used public bathroom. I was afraid of overusing my time and afraid of who might see me. Confessing shouldn’t be a hurried shameful time.

 

[JimG]

I can tell you what makes confession easier for me.

My confessor allows a solid 20 minutes per person. A simple check on the sign up sheet insures me time.AHHHH! How nice is that? In the old days I’d rush in and out as though in a heavily used public bathroom. I was afraid of overusing my time and afraid of who might see me. Confessing shouldn’t be a hurried shameful time.

Three confessions per hour? It wouldn’t work in my parish. There are confessions 30-40 minutes before weekday afternoon Masses, and there is always a line, usually ten or more, and the priest generally gets them all in, or comes back to the confesional after Mass. But three per hour? How long does it take to confess sins and receive absolution?

 

[Scout]

How about actually listening to the confession? I have a priest that I sometimes I have to confess to (where I go for confession, there’s two priests, and we never know which one is going to be hearing confessions that day) and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t actually listen, he just waits for me to stop talking or say, “I’m done”. I think this because he always gives me the same penance, no matter what. In fact, once I actually told him I didn’t think I could make the Act of Contrition without feeling like I wasn’t being truthful. To this, he replied, “Say two Ours Father’s and three Hail Mary’s, and now make your Act of Contrition”. :ehh:

I wanted to ask him if he’d actually heard me, but I was good and just said the Act of Contrition for him and then left after absolution. But each time I have him, it’s always “Say two Our Father’s and three Hail Mary’s…”

Scout :tiphat:

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Anyone else have any ideas on making confession more easily available?

Post a “how to begin” and a simple Act of Contrition inside the confessional so those who haven’t memorized won’t feel embarrassed.

 

[JimG]

I wanted to ask him if he’d actually heard me, but I was good and just said the Act of Contrition for him and then left after absolution. But each time I have him, it’s always “Say two Our Father’s and three Hail Mary’s…”

Scout :tiphat:

Maybe that’s his standard penance. I had a priest once that always gave me one “Our Father.” The new younger priest gives me a decade of the rosary. Hard times.

 

[lak611]

Maybe that’s his standard penance. I had a priest once that always gave me one “Our Father.” The new younger priest gives me a decade of the rosary. Hard times.

My pastor never gives a standard penance. It is always saying prayers, but the number of prayers varies based on what I have confessed.

 

[Beautiful]

But three per hour? How long does it take to confess sins and receive absolution?

For some, confession is not as simple as dropping coins in a slot. Some use only a few of the 20 minutes and others use the full amount.

 

[bilop]

Offer confession before Sunday liturgy.

I second this. I’ve only seen it at TLM’s, but it’s a great idea.

Usually two priests are hearing confession starting maybe 1/2 hour before Mass. Then, when the celebrant has to leave to say Mass, the other continues until everyone is done.

Works great!

God Bless

 

[baltobetsy]

Scout:

How about actually listening to the confession? I have a priest that I sometimes I have to confess to (where I go for confession, there’s two priests, and we never know which one is going to be hearing confessions that day) and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t actually listen, he just waits for me to stop talking or say, “I’m done”. I think this because he always gives me the same penance, no matter what. In fact, once I actually told him I didn’t think I could make the Act of Contrition without feeling like I wasn’t being truthful. To this, he replied, “Say two Ours Father’s and three Hail Mary’s, and now make your Act of Contrition”.

I know my priest listens to me, because he comments on almost everything I say and discusses things with me. But when the time comes for the penance, 95% of the time it’s 2 Our Fathers and 2 Hail Marys or 3 of each if it’s been a tough week.

Betsy

 

[Sarah245]

Talking about confession during homilies would be great. Having good confession guides outside the confessional to look over would be great too.

 

[JimG]

For some, confession is not as simple as dropping coins in a slot. Some use only a few of the 20 minutes and others use the full amount.

Understood. For me, if I knew going into the confessional that it would take 20 minutes to get out, I would have second thoughts about going. I would have to prepare a general confession each time.

 

[Sr_Sally]

For some, confession is not as simple as dropping coins in a slot. Some use only a few of the 20 minutes and others use the full amount.

But confession and spiritual direction are not the same thing. I don’t expect counselling in confession–although I sometimes get it!

 

[Beautiful]

Understood. For me, if I knew going into the confessional that it would take 20 minutes to get out, I would have second thoughts about going. I would have to prepare a general confession each time.

If you knew you had 20 minutes for confession and the priest had set aside that much time for you then it is likely that you would approach this sacrament in a different way. I know I have. Confessions are lengthier but much more thorough for me these days. Perhaps not all would derive similar benefits but I think many could gain from being unhurried.

Just think of how different you feel after a last minute fast food meal sucked down as you drive 70mph on the highway verses how you feel after eating a planned sit down meal in your home dining room.
That is just one analogy. Can you think of more?

 

[Woodstock]

I’ve spoken to some people about it and it seems the number one thing that would make returning to confession easier for them is a personal invitation. They’ve talked to their priests casually and formally for advice, counseling, venting, whatever and they haven’t had a priest suggest repentance as part of the solution. All of them said if a priest were to suggest it and offer to hear it then or at another set time that they would do so.

 

[JimG]

The 20 minute confession schedule reminds me of a practice at a retreat house I used to attend. Each priest had some private time available, and people who were there for a weekend retreat, could just put an X in a time slot schedule to have that time available for them–for confession, advice, counseling, spiritual direction, whatever they wanted. It was after all, a whole weekend, and there were never more than 40 or so people.

But they also had regular confessions scheduled for Saturday morning, and most people went then, and it went pretty rapidly.

Tonight I was at the 5:30 pm All Saints Eve mass. I got there about 5:10, and noticed there was a line of people at the confessional. Another priest had also come in to hear confessions in the sanctuary. About 25 people total, and they got all the confessions heard before Mass except for two.

So as a practical matter; even if those persons would have liked to take 20 minutes, if they had, a lot more would have been deprived.

Maybe it’s just me, but when it comes to telling my sins, I just want to tell them. And that doesn’t take long. But if I knew I had 20 minutes, I would go for a general confession.

 

[Beautiful]

Tonight I was at the 5:30 pm All Saints Eve mass. I got there about 5:10, and noticed there was a line of people at the confessional. Another priest had also come in to hear confessions in the sanctuary. About 25 people total, and they got all the confessions heard before Mass except for two.

Tell me if I’m doing my math incorrectly. Two priest heard 23 confessions in less than 20 minutes? I say less than 20 minutes because I’m assuming that at least one of them was celebrant for the All Saints Eve Mass and that means he had to leave the confessional sooner than 5:30. Could it be that each person had approximately less than a minute for total confession time? That can’t be good! It takes X amount of time for the priest to say his prayers and then the Act of Contrition takes X amount of time. This is beyond my comprehension. The numbers can’t be right.

Using The official U.S. time clock online I measured that it takes me 30 seconds to pray the Act of Contrition. That was at a fast clip for me. I usually like to pray it much more slowly and thoughtfully. I’m prefer 45 seconds. time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java

 

[Mattjolley]

with my parish, to make confession easier, i’d suggest having it at other times other than saturday 10AM-12PM. i work saturdays, as a student, so most times can’t make it then. i went to another priest the other week, at a more local parish to my regular one, for a face-to-face confession, and it was awful being in that one on one atmosphere, i’d prefer to be in the confessional, thats why i like having the odd saturday off, but this is a rare thing!

Matt