I will be going to Rome in about a week for the first time and have just discovered that we will be away in the first Saturday of the month. As I usually participate in the first Saturday devotions I need to get to massa nd go to confession in Rome but I don’t know the times. Does anyone know of a mass (preferably in Latin and not Italian so I can follow it) is on and when confessions (hopefully in English) take place? Thanks and God bless!
First of all, congratulations on your pilgramage! I went to Rome for WYD 2000, and while I was there, there were plenty of Masses available (FYI, there are as many churches in Rome as there are voting-age Cardinals - each Cardinal is assigned a parish in the Diocese of Rome.) As in the US, most of the Masses will be in the vernacular, but, if you know the English Mass parts, you can just say them in a low voice (to be respectful of the language of the people, but also being an active participant).
One of the “reforms of the reforms” that Pope Bl. John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benidict XVI wanted to do (but which never caught on - like JPII’s revised stations of the cross only catching on in very limited places) was to make the Creed and Lord’s Prayer said in Latin in every Catholic church. However, that didn’t happen, so again, just say them in a low voice in English if the mass is in Italian.
As far as confessions go, at least in the 4 great basilicas (St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. John’s at Lateran, & St. Paul Outside the Walls), there should be confession available on an almost continuous basis. The confessionals will state on the top in bold letters which languages the priest is hearing confessions in (most of the priests are at least bilingual and will generally say confession in their two best languages, but will sometimes use another language they know if there is a shortage in that language). They all have 2 doors/windows, and so, after you find one that states “English” at the top, you go to the side where “English” is written. This helps the priests to know which language you speak.
Oh, and as a sidenote - it’s often easiest to get to St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, and St. Mary Major by Metro (subway) and walking a short distance.
