Reconciliation is hard to attend

[igator99]

Since April of last year I’ve been trying real hard to be a good Catholic. I have a problem with confession. Not that I do not want to go it is that it is so unavailable in my area. If you don’t believe look at this local church maryqueenofpeace.org/index_church.htm . I’ve tried appointments and never got a call back. So I have a 45 minute slot every week? What happened to confession before church? I know there is a priest shortage especially in my area and those good men are extremely overworked. How do I make a prefect act of contrition?

 

[Mary1973]

Have you checked all of the churches that you have access to?

 

[igator99]

Have you checked all of the churches that you have access to?

Yes they have a hour slot on the weekdays at two other churches ( around 4:00 ) which I can’t attend and then your only other shot is on Saturday. The Saturday one is the only one I have been able to attend. I wish I had more access. It is almost as if the churches around here don’t think it is important. I know it is not the case and there just are not enough priests.

 

[maize]

It is almost as if the churches around here don’t think it is important. I know it is not the case and there just are not enough priests.

it could be too that if not a lot of people are showing up to receive the sacrament then they aren’t going to have more times for people not to come. a supply/demand factor, if you will.

 

[wanner47]

Write to your bishop. If your phone calls to the priest to set up an appointment for Reconciliation aren’t being returned, that’s a problem.

 

[igator99]

it could be too that if not a lot of people are showing up to receive the sacrament then they aren’t going to have more times for people not to come. a supply/demand factor, if you will.

I was able to make it back in May and the line on Saturday was only about ten people. I don’t like this. I’m trying to be a good Catholic and from what I understand that if I commit a mortal sin I will go straight to Hell if I don’t confess to a priest. Priest are apparently way to busy to make this sacrament widely available to people in this area. I enjoyed going to confession. I guess I’m going to have to work much harder hitting the Saturday confession.

 

[Methodi]

I was able to make it back in May and the line on Saturday was only about ten people. I don’t like this. I’m trying to be a good Catholic and from what I understand that if I commit a mortal sin I will go straight to Hell if I don’t confess to a priest. Priest are apparently way to busy to make this sacrament widely available to people in this area. I enjoyed going to confession. I guess I’m going to have to work much harder hitting the Saturday confession.

If U cant get to confession, make good acts of contrition, God Knows your heart & where its at.

 

[Chrisy58]

Since April of last year I’ve been trying real hard to be a good Catholic. I have a problem with confession. Not that I do not want to go it is that it is so unavailable in my area. If you don’t believe look at this local church maryqueenofpeace.org/index_church.htm . I’ve tried appointments and never got a call back. So I have a 45 minute slot every week? What happened to confession before church? I know there is a priest shortage especially in my area and those good men are extremely overworked. How do I make a prefect act of contrition?

I know exactly how you feel. I know at the local church here. People are frustrated because they have confession for one half hour each Saturday and if you call for an appointment they NEVER call you back.

The other churches in the Phoenix area have 45 min. to one hour confession times on Saturday and then one night during the week. They seem to have more chances for their Catholic flock to make a good confession.

We were talking about this on one of my Catholic email groups and we were told by a priest that the Lord knows that we are sorry in our hearts and that even if you don’t get to confession because you didn’t make it in that half hour time frame that you have confessed it to Jesus and he knows and forgives you.

The thing I don’t like also is that lets say you make it into the confession room before the half hour is finished, they rush you. The last confession I made it into the room and he said I really should go now and wasn’t even going to hear my confession. I told him, that tomorrow I am going to be in a special mass of people who are enrolling in the confraterney and I need to make a confession and I will only take one minute of your time. I had to push him to get my confession in after we were already seated there. I knew he didn’t want to be there, but I had to make him hear a confession because of the special mass the next day. Every time I see this Priest I get his message loud and clear that he has no regard for me and could care less what my spiritual condidtion as a Catholic is. Even though I am still a member of his church, if I was in the hospital and needed a priest he would never come. That is the way he makes me feel.

One of the things listed that they like us to do is go to confession once a month. So it is a nightmare to have to try and get that in, when you have a priest who has so little regard for certain Catholics in his church or our needs as Catholics that you have to push him hard to hear your confession when you finally make it into the confession room.

Anyway, I am a member of two churches right now. One that is close and I can go to and the other that meets my Catholic needs of confession and other spiritual matters that is in the next town over.

I am sorry you have to go through this frustration, but know that it is a problem that many Catholics around the country are facing.

In the 70’s it wasn’t like this. Maybe I was lucky, but the priests at St. Joseph of Cupertino were wonderful priests that really cared about their Catholic flock. They would help you make a good confession and they wanted to be your spiritual director. In 2009 I can’t find a priest who wants to be a good spiritual director. That is something I am still praying about. In the diary of St. Faustina which I like to read a part of everyday, she talks about how having a priest who is a good spiritual director is a gift from God and how lucky she is to have one. She also writes that many Catholics fail because of the lack of one. I sure miss the priest at St. Joseph of Cupertino. Even though it was at least 30 years ago I still remember the things that Father Enzie said to me. He built a good foundation.

I used to feel guilty about trying to find another Catholic Church where there was a priest who cared about his Catholic flock and wanted to be a good spiritual director of his flock. Then I realized that if I am not being fed where I am at now, that maybe God wants me to go somewhere else so that the Lord can provide me with the spiritual director that He wants me to have.

Maybe the thing is to try other churches and see if it is easier to make a good confession and then for awhile go back and forth between the churches and see where God leads you.

Good luck to you and God Bless

Love in Christ
Chrisy

 

[igator99]

I know exactly how you feel. I know at the local church here. People are frustrated because they have confession for one half hour each Saturday and if you call for an appointment they NEVER call you back.

Maybe the thing is to try other churches and see if it is easier to make a good confession and then for awhile go back and forth between the churches and see where God leads you.

Good luck to you and God Bless

Love in Christ
Chrisy

Thank you. I was sure that this area wasn’t the only area. A priest told you to make a good confession to God? I thought that confession to a priest was a mandatory part of our religion. If not then they should come out and tell us so. It really bothers me. I like confession and unfortunately I’m pretty sure a commit a mortal sin every month although I try to be a good Christian. I’m planing to do everything possible to go to confession this week. I can’t do it every month.

I thought that 20-30 years ago almost every church had confession everyday and they had a period before Mass on Sunday?
God Bless

 

[michaeldaniels]

But he/she needs to keep in mind that ONLY Perfect Contrition outside of the Sacrament will return one to a state of grace, in addition, one must still confess those sins within the Sacrament at the first opportunity they have available.

If U cant get to confession, make good acts of contrition, God Knows your heart & where its at.

 

[igator99]

But he/she needs to keep in mind that ONLY Perfect Contrition outside of the Sacrament will return one to a state of grace, in addition, one must still confess those sins within the Sacrament at the first opportunity they have available.

Like I said I’m going to do my best to go Saturday. What if I die before Saturday? Even if I have confessed my sins to God and did my best to hit a perfect act of contrition, I would still go to Hell? I have a real problem with this. It really bothers me. How do you make a perfect act of contrition?

 

[twf]

It is God’s sincere will that all men be saved; Scripture tells us such. Personally, I trust that if you are sincerely repentant of your sins, Our Lord will not allow you to die without an opportunity to confess or the grace to make a perfect act of contrition (which can only come from Him).

 

[igator99]

It is God’s sincere will that all men be saved; Scripture tells us such. Personally, I trust that if you are sincerely repentant of your sins, Our Lord will not allow you to die without an opportunity to confess or the grace to make a perfect act of contrition (which can only come from Him).

I agree with you but why can’t the Church come out and say this? It is an obvious problem in my area. Priest don’t have the time to be sitting in a confessional box. According to the Church without a priest confession in a state or mortal sin we go to hell. Yet it is not easy to make confession with these few times.

Like I said I believe up above, my last visit there were few people. I googled the stats on Catholics and confessions and the percentage that didn’t go was in the 40’s! I wonder if they are in my situation or just don’t believe in this teaching? Anyways according to the Church this is a very grave matter indeed. I can’t sleep tonight worrying about it. Perhaps several attempts at a perfect act on contrition a sleepless night and a hard day at work tomorrow will do it?

 

[Chrisy58]

I agree with you but why can’t the Church come out and say this? It is an obvious problem in my area. Priest don’t have the time to be sitting in a confessional box. According to the Church without a priest confession in a state or mortal sin we go to hell. Yet it is not easy to make confession with these few times.

Like I said I believe up above, my last visit there were few people. I googled the stats on Catholics and confessions and the percentage that didn’t go was in the 40’s! I wonder if they are in my situation or just don’t believe in this teaching? Anyways according to the Church this is a very grave matter indeed. I can’t sleep tonight worrying about it. Perhaps several attempts at a perfect act on contrition a sleepless night and a hard day at work tomorrow will do it?

*I do understand what you are saying because I feel the same way too. I think the reason we were told that in the Catholic Email group was so that we would be at peace even if a priest wouldn’t or didn’t listen to our confession that Jesus who loves us and knows our hearts heard us and not to stop going to mass because we could not make the confession that we wanted to make. We just have to keep trusting that God will provide us with a spiritual director and priest that has a true love of Christ for us and wants to help us in our Catholic walk, and will lead us to that church home that he wants us to be in.

I have talked to many Catholics over this problem in our church. They don’t like it either. We feel that our church needs to find a way to address this problem, because it isn’t right that Catholics are not given the chance to have confession and are not encouraged to make a good confession. I can tell you when one is rushed it is not a good confession. I get back to the Lord knows what is in my heart so I just have to take it on faith that he knows I have tried to make a good confession and that he accepts my humble confession and will provide me with the spiritual director I have been praying for.

I think if we keep on praying to God and asking him for a chance to make a good confession that he will hear us and accept our prayers and our confession until such time as he can answer our prayers and if we died tonight that we would still be with Jesus and Mary because he knows our heart is to please him.

Don’t be discouraged. I know it is hard. I didn’t go to mass yesterday, because I am so discouraged. I tell myself next week I will go. I need to go back to St. Mary’s the church in the other town because as what always happens with the church in my town I get really discouraged when I see how little regard the priest here has for fellow Catholics who he is in charge of their soul. That last confession just confirmed again how little regard he has for me. I have never in my entire life met a priest who acts the way he does and make one feel guilty for wanting to go to confession. I made it into the room and we are both sitting there and he didn’t want to hear my confession. I had been waiting and waiting. I had to push him hard to listen to me for one minute. That can’t be pleasing to God.

We are not alone. It is a major problem within the church and hopefully God will touch the hearts of the Bishops and others to take an honest look at what is happening in this area of the church.

Best Wishes and God Bless
Chrisy*

 

[06convert]

I found this parish: ollparish.info/

I don’t know if that is close to you? They have a full hour on Saturday, but like you said it’s 3:45 to 4:45.

The thing to remember is that, as far as I know unless something special is going on, you can’t have confessions on Sundays or Holy Days. So no matter where you live, you would have to go during the week, or Saturday.

Have you tried calling all the Churches in the area for an appointment?

Lastly, if nothing else, here is what I would do if I lived where you do, and absolutely had no other option. I would as often as I could, once every couple of weeks, or once a month, or once every couple months, whatever I could do, I’d make the trip to Baton Rouge, or New Orleans and find somewhere, anywhere to go to confession. Even if that meant calling a church in one of those places to set an appointment.

 

[igator99]

I found this parish: ollparish.info/

I don’t know if that is close to you? They have a full hour on Saturday, but like you said it’s 3:45 to 4:45.

The thing to remember is that, as far as I know unless something special is going on, you can’t have confessions on Sundays or Holy Days. So no matter where you live, you would have to go during the week, or Saturday.

Have you tried calling all the Churches in the area for an appointment?

Lastly, if nothing else, here is what I would do if I lived where you do, and absolutely had no other option. I would as often as I could, once every couple of weeks, or once a month, or once every couple months, whatever I could do, I’d make the trip to Baton Rouge, or New Orleans and find somewhere, anywhere to go to confession. Even if that meant calling a church in one of those places to set an appointment.

OLL is the place I made confession last on a Saturday. I will make time to go this Saturday. I think a few of you guys miss the point. I’m in a state or mortal sin. I have to wait until Saturday to go to confession. According to the laws of the Church if I die before then I go to Hell. This is in my mind a grave matter indeed. Confession should be more available to us or the laws be a bit less strict. New Orleans is the same or worse. They are closing churches down there since Katrina. Not sure about BR but if I can’t make it during the week to a church that is 10 minutes from my house I can’t make it to BR which is an hour and a half away.

I appreciate the poster that said they have the same problem and basically to make the best confession you can to god and then go to confession as soon as possible.

 

[peregrinus_WA]

I found this parish: ollparish.info/

I don’t know if that is close to you? They have a full hour on Saturday, but like you said it’s 3:45 to 4:45.

The thing to remember is that, as far as I know unless something special is going on, you can’t have confessions on Sundays or Holy Days. So no matter where you live, you would have to go during the week, or Saturday.

Have you tried calling all the Churches in the area for an appointment?

Lastly, if nothing else, here is what I would do if I lived where you do, and absolutely had no other option. I would as often as I could, once every couple of weeks, or once a month, or once every couple months, whatever I could do, I’d make the trip to Baton Rouge, or New Orleans and find somewhere, anywhere to go to confession. Even if that meant calling a church in one of those places to set an appointment.

I was looking at the same one. It also has it weekdays 5:45 - 6:15 with Mass at 6:30

 

[katy]

T

he thing to remember is that, as far as I know unless something special is going on, you can’t have confessions on Sundays or Holy Days

Actually, you can. They’ve been doing it in my parish for years, and our pastor goes by the rules on everything.

 

[Ignatius]

Since April of last year I’ve been trying real hard to be a good Catholic. I have a problem with confession. Not that I do not want to go it is that it is so unavailable in my area. If you don’t believe look at this local church maryqueenofpeace.org/index_church.htm . I’ve tried appointments and never got a call back. So I have a 45 minute slot every week? What happened to confession before church? I know there is a priest shortage especially in my area and those good men are extremely overworked.

Don’t forget that you can walk up to any priest before or after Mass and ask him to hear your confession.

Anyway, it looks like there are about 8 Catholic Churches within 12 miles or so of your parish. Here’s a list: local.yahoo.com/results;_ylt=AuNKE4TKPqDriccvIoQu12OGNcIF;_ylv=3?p=Catholic+Church&csz=Mandeville%2C+LA+70471

Also, you might want to find one nearer where you work or go to school, that will cut down on the travel time.

How do I make a prefect act of contrition?

Oh, my Jesus, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I detest all of my sins because they offend Thee may God and I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Of course you still must go to confession at the next opportunity.

God bless.

 

[Jimdandy]

I agree with you but why can’t the Church come out and say this? It is an obvious problem in my area. Priest don’t have the time to be sitting in a confessional box. According to the Church without a priest confession in a state or mortal sin we go to hell. Yet it is not easy to make confession with these few times.

Like I said I believe up above, my last visit there were few people. I googled the stats on Catholics and confessions and the percentage that didn’t go was in the 40’s! I wonder if they are in my situation or just don’t believe in this teaching? Anyways according to the Church this is a very grave matter indeed. I can’t sleep tonight worrying about it. Perhaps several attempts at a perfect act on contrition a sleepless night and a hard day at work tomorrow will do it?

The Church leads us in her best wisdom-
People can be lazy-( example: many Catholics feel it is ok to skip attending and participating in Sunday Mass or other Holy
Days-just to visit with family, or because they go out of town or they are shopping for a First Communion dress.)

Too many would fail to grasp the importance of reconciling oneself to God after commission of sin of grave matter that involved deliberate action and with full understanding & willful consent.

Repent, beg God for His forgiveness, take the steps to show Him one is doing all possible to prevent a recurrence of the sin and see a Priest ASAP.