Sacrament of Reconciliation: Lack of availability?

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mrs_abbott

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Is anyone else experiencing lack of availability of priests to hear confessions this weekend? The parish I belong to doesn’t have ANY confessions this weekend, not even the regular time before the 5:30pm Saturday Mass. :mad:
Maybe I shouldn’t have waited til the last minute but I assumed that they would be available for confessions this weekend.
Say some prayers that I can find a neighboring parish with some priests available because this is very upsetting. 😦
If I can’t make it, is it wrong not to receive the Eucharist on Christmas? I am in the state of mortal sin and can’t.
 
My parish cluster has had multiple penance services with private confession available to the faithful during the month of Advent in addition to the normal Saturday morning confession schedule.

Due conflicts with my job and my family’s gatherings, I have been unable to make any of the scheduled confession times during this season. I simply called my pastor and requested an appointment. We’re meeting privately after choir practice this weekend.

If you ever find a problem making it to a scheduled time or find a lack of scheduled time, call your parish office and request an appointment. Your pastor should honor that request.
 
One should not receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin, Christmas or not. The only requirement for receiving Communion is once per year during Eastertime, which runs from Ash Wednesday until Trinity Sunday. It is perfectly fine to attend Mass on Christmas or any other day and not receive if one is not disposed to do so.

Mrs. Abbott, I sure hope you find a church having Confessions over the weekend. In the two parishes I usually attend, there are extra hours today (Friday) and tomorrow, morning and afternoon.

If you don’t find confession, you can make a spiritual communion when you attend Masses this weekend. I’m sure Jesus will be pleased with that beautiful combination of obedience and love.

Betsy
 
mrs_abbott said:
Is anyone else experiencing lack of availability of priests to hear confessions this weekend? The parish I belong to doesn’t have ANY confessions this weekend, not even the regular time before the 5:30pm Saturday Mass. :mad:
Maybe I shouldn’t have waited til the last minute but I assumed that they would be available for confessions this weekend.
Say some prayers that I can find a neighboring parish with some priests available because this is very upsetting. 😦
If I can’t make it, is it wrong not to receive the Eucharist on Christmas? I am in the state of mortal sin and can’t.
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Of course someone would be required to abstain from receiving Holy Communion if they cannot confess known Mortal sin, because of a persons failure to go to Confession as soon as possible when it was available. The only allowable excuse would be that not to receive this Sunday or Christmas would mean that you would not be able to receive for an unreasonable amount of time. Having to wait until next week or even the following week is not sufficient reason.
 
amills said:
Our last available confession for this year was December 16.
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WHAT!??!?!?!? Yer kiddin right?

It sounds like you only have occaisional confession at your parish. If that was the case then I would find another parish if at all possible. My priest faithfully sits in the confessional EVERY saturday from 4 Pm to 5 PM and NEVER misses. He has mentioned that there has been weeks where he just sat there and read his LOH. I went to confession one time and caught him reading a Photography Today magazine. It gave me a little chuckle.
 
amills said:
Our last available confession for this year was December 16.
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What on Earth are your Priests doing that could be better than being in the confessionals hearing regular Confessions in Advent?
 
A call to the chancery seeking locations for confession gave me the number of a nearby parish. When asked why I didn’t go to the local parish church, I explained that all confessions, including a traditional evening communal penance service had been cancelled, the question of which parish elicited this response, “Oh, My!” The chancery spokesman then indicated that they had some notes of caution and were watching that parish. Twenty minutes a week is not really enough time for confessions in a parish of 3,000 families, either.
 
mrs_abbott said:
Is anyone else experiencing lack of availability of priests to hear confessions this weekend? The parish I belong to doesn’t have ANY confessions this weekend, not even the regular time before the 5:30pm Saturday Mass.
.
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every parish I have belonged to in the last 20 or so years has had extra communion services in the week before Christmas, esp. if it falls on a weekend, when altered Mass schedules will cut into the regular confession times. (and also before the Easter Triduum begins, which is another time there are often no confessions.) This weekend most parishes in this area did the same, because they have extra Saturday evening Masses so that people can make their Sunday obligation (I guess the reasoning is people won’t go twice on Sunday).

forgot to suggest try your diocesan website for neighboring parishes, and masstimes.com as well, sometimes lists confession schedules, If there is a popular shrine or basilica in your area (like here) they often have extra confession hours before holy days as well.
 
Luckily the Cathedral I go to is served by three Priests, they however do serve two other Parishes.

This means we have confessions Tues-Fri 12:15pm-12:55pm and Saturday 10:30am-11:30am and 5:30pm - 6:15pm.

It is refreshing to see long lines, and if one is not there in good time in the week, you will not get into the confessional. First Fridays are particularly full.

I will be going to Confession tomorrow, I have no idea how busy (or not) it will be.
 
mrs_abbott said:
Is anyone else experiencing lack of availability of priests to hear confessions this weekend? The parish I belong to doesn’t have ANY confessions this weekend, not even the regular time before the 5:30pm Saturday Mass. :mad:
Maybe I shouldn’t have waited til the last minute but I assumed that they would be available for confessions this weekend.
Say some prayers that I can find a neighboring parish with some priests available because this is very upsetting. 😦
If I can’t make it, is it wrong not to receive the Eucharist on Christmas? I am in the state of mortal sin and can’t.
Click to expand...
Not knowing where you are in Kansas makes it difficult to answer but in short, no you should not receive Holy Communion in a state of Mortal Sin but you already knew that. Sounds like your Pastor is on the Eucharist itself is salvific so no need for ritual confession bandwagon.

I would reccommend you find another Parish to confess at as almost all of them have extra confessions this time of year. Or you don’t have to receive during Christmas. Oh and by the way by receiving while in a state of mortal sin you commit another mortal sin and I don’t think you want to do that.

And yes, I know about perfect acts of contrition, but I really don’t believe they are applicable in this situation.

Merry Christmas:)
 
mrs_abbott said:
Is anyone else experiencing lack of availability of priests to hear confessions this weekend? The parish I belong to doesn’t have ANY confessions this weekend, not even the regular time before the 5:30pm Saturday Mass. :mad:
Maybe I shouldn’t have waited til the last minute but I assumed that they would be available for confessions this weekend.
Say some prayers that I can find a neighboring parish with some priests available because this is very upsetting. 😦
If I can’t make it, is it wrong not to receive the Eucharist on Christmas? I am in the state of mortal sin and can’t.
Click to expand...
Call your priest and tell him, you want to have confession. Make an appointment.
 
In my parish the liturgical minister [we don’t have a pastor or full-time priest] hears confessions one day a month for a half hour. The supply exceeds the demand, apparently, for on the two occasions I have showed up I have been the only penitent.

Now I go to the local Tridentine indult oratory. The rector is from the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. Not only is the Sacrament of Penance scheduled liberally, it is available after any Mass and on request. And the penitent receives actual counsel according to his condition.

God save our faithful priests.

JSA
 
Father was at his station in the confessional yesterday the 24th. Also had communional penance this week.
 
Many years ago far far from here, a priest told a story about how boring it was to sit in the confessional for an hour with nothing to do, but the pastor used to insist that the priests just get in there to the confessional and be available … “bring a book”.
 
What is going on in this country with confession? Some parishes have long lines others (I would say most) have priests who need to bring books along because no one shows up. Wow! There must be alot of saints among modern day US catholics!

The Bishops in Baltimore recently issued a statement about the need for approaching the Eucharist properly disposed. Hopefully this will get people to start thinking about the need for Confession again.

I can’t imagine taking communion in a state of mortal sin, but I have to believe, based upon what I’ve seen, that many US catholics are indeed doing just that.
 
marci said:
What is going on in this country with confession? Some parishes have long lines others (I would say most) have priests who need to bring books along because no one shows up. Wow! There must be alot of saints among modern day US catholics!

The Bishops in Baltimore recently issued a statement about the need for approaching the Eucharist properly disposed. Hopefully this will get people to start thinking about the need for Confession again.

I can’t imagine taking communion in a state of mortal sin, but I have to believe, based upon what I’ve seen, that many US catholics are indeed doing just that.
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Maybe when the Holy Father gets his other “rubrical” changes made, Saturday afternoon confession times will gain greater participation by the laity.

Have they gotten rid of the ushers “escorting” communicants at Mass? [More appropriate description: yanking people out of the pews and coercing everyone to receive, regardless of grace state, at penalty of public humiliation… and preventing anyone from jumping the line, even if parents need to split up so one can be minding the kids while the other receives.]
 
My “old” church heard confession every weekday before the noon mass and on saturday afternoon. My “new” church hears it only on saturday from 3:30 to 4:20 and the lines are long. Guess the shorter confession, excuse me reconciliation, hours are part of the new, improved Vatican II church. I’m sorry if I seem overly critical but when I hear that the priest gets bored, that really makes me feel bad. :hmmm:
 
Our parish has confession twice a year. :eek: At the last opportunity, a couple of weeks ago the preist was done in less than an hour. I imagine less than 10 people came.

We are getting a new priest and hopefully we can at least get it once a month!
 
Well, luckily I made it to confession on Saturday night. I had to drive a little ways but of course it was worth it. 👍 It’s been 7 months since I’ve been able to receive the Eucharist at Mass so it was nice to be able to do so on Christmas. 😃
 
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