My Parish Hardly Has Any Sinners!

[WhiteDove]

I just got back from confession and I’m happy to report that I’m one of the few in the parish who sinned recently!!! Isn’t that great!!! I’m glad I got my sins absolved. This time I’ll work harder at avoiding sin so I can be more like everyone else in my parish!!!

 

[NightRider]

WhiteDove:

I just got back from confession and I’m happy to report that I’m one of the few in the parish who sinned recently!!! Isn’t that great!!! I’m glad I got my sins absolved. This time I’ll work harder at avoiding sin so I can be more like everyone else in my parish!!!

WhiteDove, I totally guffawed when I read this!!! I know just what you mean. I go to Confession every week and the line is very short! I must be a very bad sinner to have to go *every week, *for crying out loud!!! Way worse than the rest of our parish!! I’m afraid they are in blissful ignorance, however! I’m just so grateful I know the difference!!! God bless!

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

WhiteDove:

I just got back from confession and I’m happy to report that I’m one of the few in the parish who sinned recently!!! Isn’t that great!!! I’m glad I got my sins absolved. This time I’ll work harder at avoiding sin so I can be more like everyone else in my parish!!!

My Parish Hardly Has Any Sinners!!!​

is bad English: it should be, “…has hardly…”

That will be 10,000 Aves ##

 

[kmmd]

Same in my parish. I think that in the 4 or 5 years since I started going to confession regularly I have bumped into mayber 9 or 10 other people. But all of them were during the time when we had a pastor who actually believed in confession. The one before that would tell us it wasn’t necessary unless we had committed a mortal sin and that he didn’t think it was possible for the average person to commit a mortal sin. (This is a guy who has since been relieved of his priestly duties, unfortunately, not for heresy).

Now we have a “pastoral administrator” and a priest who is called the “sacramental minister”…he is from Sri Lanka and the parish doesn’t pay him a living wage. He has two other jobs, both in ministry sort of.

Lord, have mercy on us.

 

[netmilsmom]

I can tell you, after attending a parish meeting on First Pennance, it is because we are being taught that there is no need to go every week, or every month. In fact, I was told, “We can’t force people to go even once a year.”

Right.

WhiteDove:

I just got back from confession and I’m happy to report that I’m one of the few in the parish who sinned recently!!! Isn’t that great!!! I’m glad I got my sins absolved. This time I’ll work harder at avoiding sin so I can be more like everyone else in my parish!!!

 

[gloriak]

In fact I had to Prove to my friend on Monday evening that
confession is still a Must! He said it’s not mandatory
anymore! Where have I been? Are we still Catholics?
What’s up?

 

[mjdonnelly]

It’s still part of your Easter duty. So, everyone needs to go at least once a year.

 

[amasimp]

When was the last time you heard a sermon or homily about sin? A while, I’ll bet. What about love and forgiveness? Last week, I’ll bet.

Nobody goes to confession anymore because nobody is reminded that we are creatures of sin. That is offensive to people because people, in general, don’t like to be reminded of their imperfections.

Not only that, but what kind of a message does it send to the faithful when the sacrament is only offered for thirty minutes on Saturday afternoon? Actually, is there a better expression of God’s love and forgiveness than the gift of the sacrament of confession?

I am lucky to be at a parish where the priest actively promotes the sacrament of confession. He preaches on it at nearly every Mass and offers not only on Saturday afternoons, but before every daily Mass and during Eucharistic Adoration (which we have a couple of times a month). He often says, “don’t give me any presents. Just go to confession.” You know what…it’s working. More and more people go to confession now. Myself included.

 

[Deacon2006]

I once went to a parish were the light was on yet nobody went to confession so I stuck my head in and to my surprise the pastor had removed the walls set up a comfortable chair and had another chair for the penitent. It had tasteful lamps and a bookshelf with some good spiritual reading at the fingertips of the priest. As I walked into to this den/reading room/confessional I think I startled the priest because he welcomed me like a surprised host. I made confession behind a removable screen at one side of the room instead of sitting in the chair and went on my way thinking that perhaps a more traditional confessional might be required here so the pastor would not be so surprised to have guests.

God Bless

 

[Cherub]

I can sometimes make it three weeks – sometimes – without having to go to confession. I go because I can’t bear to pass up receiving the body and blood of Christ, and I know that if I’ve committed a mortal sin, I am not to receive.

When I go to confession, I generally am in the company of the same 7 – 12 people who show up on a regular basis. Yet when Mass begins, the place is full with between 260 and 300 people, and they all go up to receive the body and blood.

Even though you only have to go to confession at least once a year, during Easter if at no other time, are you supposed to be receiving communion if you have committed mortal sin? Are all these hundreds of people I see lined up just ultra-holy?

 

[Confiteor]

Funny how the more orthodox parishes seem to have the most “sinners.” Maybe after the elections, some of the pro-abortion voters’ consciences will drive them to the confessional…

 

[Fergal]

If they only realised the wonderful font of Mercy that exists.

If they only realised.

I feel the reason they do not go is because they have lost sense of its meaning. I would find it hard to believe that this great sacrament is ignored because a person has spent time weighing it up and coming to a knowledgeable conclusion that they have no need for confession. It is not being preached as a necessary precursor to the Holy Mass.

We set a great example to those around us by going. However the ones around us when we go are those who are also going!!!
Converted preaching to the converted!!!

I would suggest especially in this great year of Grace that we, who realise the importnatce of frequent confession, put it into words and let people know of its existance in the first instance. Bring it into our conversations showing that it is a normal weekly / monthly practise for us. Put into words how often you go and finally if you get the chance witness to its effects.

I remember the time Confession came up in conversation at lunch time aroung the staff room table and many boasted “Sure I don’t know the last time I went to Confession” others said “I think the last time I went was in my last year at school” and another “My mam, when I lived at home had a calander and on it she marked off when we went so we could see the gap appearing and realised it was time for Confession again. Now that I am married she still expected me to go but sure hey…I’m a big girl now!”

Slowly it made its way around to me. I had a choice. Reveal the truth and wait for the reaction / suprise or just excuse myself before the occassion presented itself.
I suddenly had a flash to the Cross and said yes Lord I will witness. My reply was simple “I go every week” There was silence. One of my colleagues said “You mean once a month?” I said “No. Once a week.” There was silence again followed by a few downcast eyes and a few blank nods. So I continued “Well when you have had cancer twice like I have it reveals just who you are and leaves us in no doubt as to how dependant we are on God.I have to thank God for all he has given me and of course I just have to be ready! I am not taking any chances!!” Those who knew my story understood perfectly. They smiled.

God Bless

 

[mamax3]

I’ve been reading this thread with great interest! When my oldest DS prepared for his first Penance, our pastor did a fantastic parent meeting on the importance and the absolute NEED for us to go to confession! He begged all the parents to make sure our children understood how wonderful this is for the health of our souls – he likened it to having regular checkups & blood workups to assure good health.

My DS loves to go to confession (yes, he’s only 9 but good habits start early, right?). I, on the other hand, still have issues with being comfortable in confession ( I went to Catholic school but was raised in the Eastern Orthodox religion & converted to Catholicism 12 years ago). I admit that I am used to the confessional booth but our parish has the “confessional offices” where the priest sits across from you & it’s more like a chat than a “formula”…

I do always feel so much better after having gone but it’s more like taking medicine until I actually get there… Perhaps I shall eventually get used to sitting across from the priest & chatting about my sins but it’s a tough thing when you got used to the little itty bitty confessional

Anyone else have this newer confessional system in his/her parish?

 

[Ray_Marshall]

mamax3:

Anyone else have this newer confessional system in his/her parish?

In one parish that I sometimes go to for confession, in the “crying” room, they have it set up so there is a screen with a kneeler on one side of the confessor and a chair in front of him. You take your choice.

I think the rules require that you have to have the ability to confess from behind a screen.

 

[Exporter]

Here is a slightly different look at the same “problem”.

At Sunday Mass now I estimate that 95% + of everyone present takes Communion.

Forty years ago I estimate that maybe 70% would take Communion.

What does that say? Do you think there are fewer sinners today?

 

[jeffreedy789]

‘When was the last time you heard a sermon or homily about sin?’

well, i can tell you, coming from a protestant background, that we catholics (i’m a convert) talk about, and deal with, sin much more often and readily than in any protestant church i’ve ever been to.

they may not talk about it during the homily. but they’ve only got so long. but we DO talk about it in every mass. the confiteor is there, and as long as we’re paying attention (one of the great needs, i think, in the catholic church today), we’ll see our need to confess our sins. we DO, in fact, confess them in mass once a week.

alot of protestant groups teach that once you’re saved, you don’t sin anymore. those things that LOOK like sin are just ways in which we haven’t learned to walk with Jesus yet. because we are, you see, SAVED. it’s a scary teaching, because every person KNOWS that they still sin. so we either reinterpret our sins to ourselves (dangerous), or we beat ourselves up over them (dangerous), or we ignore them (the worst of all).

i’m just glad that the catholic church HAS confession. in the baptist church, you carry it all around with you. it’s scary.

i have to say, though, that i go to a great church, where we have a big line at confession both times every week. it’s nice to see. and i tend to trust the people who are there week after week alot more than the people i never see in confession at all.

 

[Linda_H]

My old parish had what I call the 50/50 rooms, when you first entered there was the kneeler and the screen, or you had the choice of going in futher to a chair across from the priest. My current parish only has face to face confession, and I’m not all that confortable with it, but what are you going to do when you live in a rural area, I’ve just learned to offer it up.

Linda H.

 

[Sanctus]

I’ve noticed the same thing. In parishes that I’ve been in where the Priest preaches about sin and confession–people actually go to confession. If anyone has ever been to EWTN, the lines for confession there are long even on weekdays. At my parish there isn’t much emphasis put on confession and guess what, not many people go. I do notice this one little lady that is there what seems like every week. I have a hard time thinking that she manages to sin more than the other parishoners espically when the church is in a College town. There are so many time when I want to jump out of my pew and beg people to come to confession. The one time I do remember when we had a rush on confession was when we had a guest priest come in and do a mini-retreat and speach before Mass. He talked on and on about sin and God’s love and then told everyone that he and three other priests would be avaliable for confession before Mass…everyone in the Church got out of their pews and in the confession line. I think as Catholics we need to hear more about confession, espically in homlies.

 

[jimmy]

WhiteDove:

I just got back from confession and I’m happy to report that I’m one of the few in the parish who sinned recently!!! Isn’t that great!!! I’m glad I got my sins absolved. This time I’ll work harder at avoiding sin so I can be more like everyone else in my parish!!!

There are few of us sinners left in the world. We need to work harder.

 

[DrCat]

amasimp:

When was the last time you heard a sermon or homily about sin? A while, I’ll bet. What about love and forgiveness? Last week, I’ll bet. .

This morning - also on the importance of receiving the Eucharist worthily.

We have confession at any time during the day, as well as 30 minutes before every Mass. Mass started 15 minutes late today because of the line for Confession (Oh, and the priest - a visitor to our parish - was 45 minutes early - So he was hearing Confessions for over an hour).

Sorry to say there are many sinners (including me) in my parish.

John