How is it that you are unable to go to Reconciliation? If you are ill or homebound, I’m sure that you could arrange for a priest to come to you… since people can give the Holy Eucharist to those in hospitals, it would make sense that a priest could come to you if you couldn’t come to Church.
If you’re just busy, do everything in your power to make it to Church. I know that at my mom’s parish you can make an appointment for confession. Also, there are often opportunities for Reconciliation before Masses in many cases, and it’s probably not that crowded if you go on Saturday evenings or during the week.
While the Novena is a very powerful and very beautiful thing, I’m pretty sure that it can’t take the place of a sacrament.
