Reconciliation, before Divine Mercy Sunday.. does this happen in your parish?

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Dear Catholic Answers forum… well, Lent is now about 3 weeks away. And before we know it, it will be Easter Sunday.

This brings me to my question. The Sunday following Easter… is Divine Mercy Sunday. Please correct me… if I’m wrong, because perhaps… I’ve again misunderstood the facts. But didn’t Our Lord ask St. Faustina (in her diary) to convey His wish that the faithful receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation PRIOR to Divine Mercy Sunday?

But year after year… our local parishes (the two closest to us)… have chosen to deny parishoners the chance to receive the sacrament… by NOT offering it (no priests hearing confessions, on the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday). And I am wondering… why?

Does this happen at any of your parishes? Does it happen in ALL parishes? And why? It seems to me… to be an intentional omission of the opportunity for the faithful to be obedient to Our Lord’s request. I don’t understand, and this just seems so wrong to me. Divine Mercy Sunday is such a great and profound Gift from Our Lord. It seems that our Pastors would move Heaven and Earth… to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation available to the faithful on that particular Saturday. Your thoughts are appreciated. God bless. 🙂
 
I suppose we are very fortunate. A number of parishes in our area, including our own, heavily promote Divine Mercy Sunday. Confession is not only offered on the Saturday before, it is also offered beginning about an hour before the Divine Mercy service.

Have you asked your parish why? Do they offer the Divine Mercy Service? Do they normally have confessions on Saturday?

All that said, in order to recieve the graces of Divine Mercy:

*On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. *The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. *[our emphasis] On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will I contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary 699)

I have always understood it to mean that you must go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday.

Last year we were out of town on Dvine Mercy Sunday, but had no problem finding a local parish that had Confessions, Communion and the Divine Mercy service.

Good luck to you!
 
As immensely popular and highly praiseworthy as the Divine Mercy devotion is, remember, that Catholics are not bound to believe in private revelation. Public revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle, St. John the Evangelist.

Furthermore, all Catholics are bound to fulfill their Easter Duty (confession and reception of Holy Communion at least once a year) from Ash Wednesday, which falls this year on February 6th up through the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinit, which, this year, falls on May 18th. Of course, one may fulfill that duty any time during this window (which would include the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday).

Having said that, please don’t think I am discounting Divine Mercy devotion. It certainly is a good and holy thing. But, at the same time you must remember that many parishes schedule their penance services during Lent, with the idea of going to confession and receiving Holy Communion during the Paschal Triduum, which is the Church’s most important time of the year. Furthermore, during Lent, many parishes will extend confession times to allow the faithful as much opportunity to receive the sacrament during this penitential season.

Now, that is not to say that parishes can’t offer extended confession times for the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday. It’s just that we probably might want to take into account the aforementioned factors as well.
 
Our parish offers confessions the Saturday after Easter but only one or two people come, perhaps because of the reasons just posted above. I guess they figure if people really need to come to confession at this time they would make an appointment. I am seeing a lot more of that happening in our parish.
 
benedictgal said:
Furthermore, all Catholics are bound to fulfill their Easter Duty (confession and reception of Holy Communion at least once a year)
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I don’t believe Easter Duty requires confession. We are bound to receive Communion at a minimum once a year during Easter but we are only bound to confess once a year if we are in a state of mortal sin.

That said, in our parish there is no scheduled confession time other than the two reconciliation services, one in Lent and one in Advent.

We have to go get Fr. by the hand to confess at any other time since he refuses to sit in the confessional, claiming no one ever comes. Why should they go to confession when his only references to sin are the oft repeated “God loves us no matter what we do” never followed by “but we must repent and confess.”
 
Phemie said:
I don’t believe Easter Duty requires confession. We are bound to receive Communion at a minimum once a year during Easter but we are only bound to confess once a year if we are in a state of mortal sin.

That said, in our parish there is no scheduled confession time other than the two reconciliation services, one in Lent and one in Advent.

We have to go get Fr. by the hand to confess at any other time since he refuses to sit in the confessional, claiming no one ever comes. Why should they go to confession when his only references to sin are the oft repeated “God loves us no matter what we do” never followed by “but we must repent and confess.”
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The way that many of our parishes down here have interpreted the Easter Duty is to also include confession. Inasmuch as there is truth to what you say, it is wise to try to get to the confessional once a year, at the very least.

The big problem is that people don’t realize how dangerous and deadly sin is. We worry (at least, in my case), what kind of anti-aging cream to use beneath my mineral foundation (to make me look younger. Others may worry about their cholesteral rate (to stay healthy). Many of us opt to go get the flu shot to stave the bug. We care for our bodies, but, when it comes to our souls, that’s another story. Even if you are blessed (and strong) enough not to commit a mortal sin, not going to confession on a frequent basis isn’t a good thing, either. Call it getting regular booster shots for your soul.

I guess that’s why, perhaps, many people link (at least) yearly confessoin to yearly reception of Holy Communion, although, many will opt for regular confession and reception of Holy Communion.
 
Our parish does have additional reconciliation times all through Lent. I don’t believe we have any additional times on the Saturday after Easter. As BenedictGal said, the thinking is that we prepare and get ready for EASTER as the most important time in the liturgical calendar. Divine Mercy Sunday is no more important than any other feast day. However, our Pastor has a great fondness for that feast, so we do have a bit more celebration than some other parishes might.

I also agree with BenedictGal that frequent reception of the Sacrament of Confession is very important to our souls. We should all work to see that our parishes always have plenty of opportunity for confession (and not just by appopintment) year-round.
 
Our parish heavily promotes Divine Mercy Sunday as well. If I remember correctly we offer our normal confession times on Saturday and Sunday before Mass and then we also have 2 hours set aside later on Sunday before we have our Divne Mercy “celebration” that afternoon. And there’s always a HUGE line that weekend for all offered confession times.👍
 
Oh, you’re all so blessed to live in parishes where Divine Mercy Sunday is observed so fully. How I wish our parish would do the same. There are two parishes near where we live, and neither one offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation just before Divine Mercy Sunday.

Last year, though… ONE priest… did come down to the school gym and hear a few confessions (they were doing renovations in the main church). I happened to be one of the blessed ones. But he made it clear, he was only going to hear just “a few” confessions… and that would be it.

I guess I’m having difficulty with what seems to be an attitude here. That maybe it isn’t important enough to offer prior Saturday confessions? And yet, almost all Catholic Churches now… have the Divine Mercy Image… somewhere in the narthex, foyer… or main Church. I just don’t get it.
 
MarieVeronica said:
…NOT offering it (no priests hearing confessions, on the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday). And I am wondering… why?
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Have you asked your priest?
Does this happen at any of your parishes?
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No. I can receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation every Saturday at my parish, and any day of the week in my diocese.
 
Phemie said:
I don’t believe Easter Duty requires confession. We are bound to receive Communion at a minimum once a year during Easter but we are only bound to confess once a year if we are in a state of mortal sin.

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Your right that the second precept of the Church saying that “You shall confess your sins at least once a year” [CCC] does not say it needs to be during Easter (it also doesn’t say only if you believe them to be mortal sins).
 
brigid12 said:
Your right that the second precept of the Church saying that “You shall confess your sins at least once a year” [CCC] does not say it needs to be during Easter (it also doesn’t say only if you believe them to be mortal sins).
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Can. 989 After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.
 
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