Reconcilliation Service

[Holland]

I have attended a Reconcilliation Service where the priest gave everyone in attendance absolution. There was no confessing of individual sins. This priest has the permission of the Bishop to hold this service. I was told, if the Bishop says its OK then its OK. Are my sins forgiven?

 

[Pug]

Even if they were, you’d still have to confess your grave sins individually when it becomes possible. That must be (have been) your intention for the absolution to be valid. Do you have individual confession available to you at this time? If you do, go.

I’m not sure what country you live in, but in the United States, this ought not to have happened in your average parish. In Holland, I don’t know what circumstances would have given rise to this situation. A bishop is the correct person to decide if the situation warrants general absolution. Are you in a situation of war?

 

[Holland]

Actually, this is in a parish in the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, where my family lives. This priest has been doing this for years and I just assumed it was OK. The church is usually packed when he has this service and I can say with almost certainty that this is the only Reconcilliation Service that a lot of these people attend.

 

[davidv]

I have attended a Reconcilliation Service where the priest gave everyone in attendance absolution. There was no confessing of individual sins. This priest has the permission of the Bishop to hold this service. I was told, if the Bishop says its OK then its OK. Are my sins forgiven?

This is what the Catechism has to say about this.

**1483 **In case of grave necessity recourse may be had to a communal celebration of reconciliation with general confession and general absolution. Grave necessity of this sort can arise when there is imminent danger of death without sufficient time for the priest or priests to hear each penitent’s confession. Grave necessity can also exist when, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors to hear individual confessions properly in a reasonable time, so that the penitents through no fault of their own would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time. In this case, for the absolution to be valid the faithful must have the intention of individually confessing their grave sins in the time required. The diocesan bishop is the judge of whether or not the conditions required for general absolution exist. A large gathering of the faithful on the occasion of major feasts or pilgrimages does not constitute a case of grave necessity.

 

[Pug]

Actually, this is in a parish in the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, where my family lives. This priest has been doing this for years and I just assumed it was OK.

There is such a thing as a reconcilliation service, but for these, they have six or so priests there and right after the service, everyone picks a line and goes to confession then. General absolution does not take place at these services. These services are OK.

General absolution (not reconcilliation services followed by individual confessions) is a rare event. It is carefully regulated. In Cleveland itself, you would have access to individual confession. Here is a post by the Apologist Peggy Frye.

 

[Holland]

Thanks for the information. Sounds like my family was correct. The Bishop does have the ability to grant this. In this particular parish there is one priest and there is no way he would be able to hear everyone’s Confession. I felt a little weird doing it, like my sins had not been forgiven, but I guess they are.

 

[Corki]

Thanks for the information. Sounds like my family was correct. The Bishop does have the ability to grant this. In this particular parish there is one priest and there is no way he would be able to hear every one’s Confession. I felt a little weird doing it, like my sins had not been forgiven, but I guess they are.

I understand that he couldn’t hear everyone’s confessions at one time. We have just one priest too. We used to have the communal penance services and our Pastor would do the individual confession part aided by some other priests from near-by parishes. He would then help out on the days the other parishes did their Penance services.

Given that Cleveland is a relatively major metropolitan area, it is unlikely that there are no other priests within a reasonable commute that could come and help with the service. Even **if **your pastor could not get anyone to help him, and there was some urgent need to get everyone the Sacrament right away, the individuals are still required to go to an individual Confession as soon as they possibly can.

So, yes, the Bishop can give permission but each person still needs to go to individual confession at the first possible opportunity. To do otherwise is an abuse of the Sacrament and that would kind of work against the whole idea of Confession.

 

[Holland]

I

So, yes, the Bishop can give permission but each person still needs to go to individual confession at the first possible opportunity. To do otherwise is an abuse of the Sacrament and that would kind of work against the whole idea of Confession.

Yes, but wouldn’t that be confessing the same sins twice? I didn’t think you were suppose to do that. I can tell you that most of these people, if not all, do not go to individual confession.

 

[rwoehmke]

It would be a reconciliation service with general absolution, but it would hardly be the same as confessing the sins. Confessing the sins would only take place once when one then went to individual reconcilation. Confession is not the official name of the sacrament but a popularized term for “hitting the box”. The Sacrament is called Penance or Reconciliation. We used to have general absolution in our parish because of the holidays and only two priests. The Bishop finally put a stop to it because it became obvious that many people felt no need then to confess serious sins as soon as possible afterward. In short they did not understand or choose not to understand the situation.

 

[Holland]

I understand that general Confession and general absolution are not the same as one on one Confesssion with a priest. The question is whether serious sins are absolved during these services. I am sure most of the people who attend believe that they are. The absolution you receive during this service is the same as you receive during one on one Confession.