Parish Reconciliation Service

  • Thread starter Thread starter BeluvdLily
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BeluvdLily

Guest
What is a Parish Reconciliation Service? Does this take the place of a private confession?

Amie
 
BeluvdLily said:
What is a Parish Reconciliation Service? Does this take the place of a private confession?

Amie
Click to expand...
No, it doesn’t replace private confession.

It’s essentially a liturgy of the word with an examination of conscience and a confession of sins as in “I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned…”

Then there are private confessions and usually the service concludes after everyone who wanted to go to private confession has done so.
 
BeluvdLily said:
What is a Parish Reconciliation Service? Does this take the place of a private confession?

Amie
Click to expand...
Hello, Arnie! Hope y’all are starting to thaw out!

The Parish Reconciliation Service does not and must not take the place of individual confession with absolution. The Pentitential Service helps guide our consciences and it prepares us for the reception of the actual Sacrament of Confession, but, it doesn’t replace confession.

Here’s a snippet from the Circular Letter on the Integrity of the Sacrament of Penance:
  1. As an aid to a more fruitful reception of the Sacrament of Penance and in the hope of fostering the spirit and virtue of penance among the faithful, the Rite of Penance includes material for “Penitential celebrations”, which are described as gatherings of the people of God to hear the proclamation of God’s word.20 "Care should be taken that the faithful do not confuse these celebrations with the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance",21 in particular, by making clear to them that such celebrations are preparatory in nature and do not include the sacramental forgiveness of sins. It is to be borne in mind that such penitential celebrations may not make use of the sacramental formula of absolution, nor should they employ the concluding formula from the Penitential Rite at Mass, nor any other formula which could be misconstrued to be an absolution from sin.
Click to expand...
I hope this helps you to better understand the concept.

Get warm! It’s a balmy 61 degrees in South Texas!😃
 
We actually had one tonight. Its a service where there is a small liturgy and prayer before hand then everyone goes to confession SEPARATELY and recieves absolution SEPARATELY (not to be confused with the general absolution to be used ONLY in times of emergency). Our parish offered 5 confessors and then at the end everyone says the Act of Contrition together. But the important thing is that the absolution is individual at each person’s confession not general.
 
Phemie said:
No, it doesn’t replace private confession.

It’s essentially a liturgy of the word with an examination of conscience and a confession of sins as in “I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned…”

Then there are private confessions and usually the service concludes after everyone who wanted to go to private confession has done so.
Click to expand...
And usually, there are 4-12 priests present to hear confessions.
 
AngelRose81 said:
We actually had one tonight. Its a service where there is a small liturgy and prayer before hand then everyone goes to confession SEPARATELY and recieves absolution SEPARATELY (not to be confused with the general absolution to be used ONLY in times of emergency). Our parish offered 5 confessors and then at the end everyone says the Act of Contrition together. But the important thing is that the absolution is individual at each person’s confession not general.
Click to expand...
A parish in my neighbourhood had one last night. The only difference is that we all said the Confiteor before our individual confessions. Once I was done with my individual confession, I just left the church and went home. They did not require everybody to stay until all were done.
 
lak611 said:
A parish in my neighbourhood had one last night. The only difference is that we all said the Confiteor before our individual confessions. Once I was done with my individual confession, I just left the church and went home. They did not require everybody to stay until all were done.
Click to expand...
Although the service is supposed to be completed AFTER everyone who wished to has confessed, in practice we’ve found that that is very impractical and so we’ve done the entire service and then folks are free to leave after they’ve confessed.
 
Personally, I still like just going to confession before Mass. But I guess everyone’s different. We acutally have 2 Parish reconcillation services. One during Advent and of course one during lent.
 
Thanks everyone. I’ve only been Catholic for a year this past December. I just didn’t remember this from last Easter at all. Now I’ll be better prepared when I go Thursday.

Amie
 
If time is an issue, don’t plan on recieving your Personal Confession here. I attended our parish’s Reconciliation Service last year, and waited in line for over an hour and a half (may have been over two, but for sure at least that) before I got to see the priest.
 
Rawb said:
If time is an issue, don’t plan on recieving your Personal Confession here. I attended our parish’s Reconciliation Service last year, and waited in line for over an hour and a half (may have been over two, but for sure at least that) before I got to see the priest.
Click to expand...
There is nothing stopping you from using the Reconciliation Service as your examination of conscience and going to private confession a couple of days later. That’s what I’m doing.
 
The term “Parish Reconciliation Service” is unclear. It may be the sacrament of reconciliation, or it may not be.

The liturgical book, Rite of Penance, describes three communal rituals:

Penitential Service (n. 36-37) also called a “Penitential celebration” in Appendix II. Confession would be required at another time. A priest is not required to lead this. It is not the sacrament of reconciliation. There are songs, readings, prayers and help in examining one’s conscience.

“Rite for Reconciliation of Several Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution”. This is in chapter II and is sometimes called the “Second Rite”. If you go to the individual confession, you are not required to go at another time.

“Rite for Reconciliation of Several Penitents with General Confession and Absolution”. Also known as the “Third Rite”. After the absolution, one should still “confess individually at the proper time each of the serious sins which cannot now be confessed” (n. 60).

The term “Reconciliation Service” is particularly confusing because is combines words from the different ceremonies. “Service” suggests it is not the sacrament. “Reconciliation” suggests it is the sacrament.

Reference: Rite of Penance, from The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, pages 519.-629.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top