So few people going to Confession, why?

[thistle]

10 Masses on Sundays?!? WOW. Are you in a cathedral parish?

No Cathedrals near us.

 

[JanR]

Regarding the last few line of your last paragraph, Intent is very important, here. If one sins mortally before going to Mass, and INTENDS to go to confession as soon as possible, but dies before he or she can – wouldn’t God take that into consideration?

Just as intent is a major component of committing sin, wouldn’t intent also be a major component of trying to seek absolution? Doesn’t it cut both ways? I think God would take our sincere intentions into account when he judges us.

I think he’s a more just and merciful God than some folks give him credit for.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I dont understand why more confession isn’t being offered…

The problem is signifcant on many levels.

I know there are parishes out there with one priest working part time and people have to make an appointment for confession, but if you’re in any area with a reasonable number of Catholics and churches around, one isn’t exactly short on confession options. It’s offered at least two days a week at most churches I frequent. You just have to plan to get there, the same way you’d plan to get to any other place that was only open a couple days a week, such as the local farmers market, or the county vaccines clinic, etc.

Some of the people posting in this thread seem to have the idea that either no one is going to Confession anymore, or that parishes are rarely offering Confession any more. Neither of those things are true.

 

[edward_george1]

Some of the people posting in this thread seem to have the idea that either no one is going to Confession anymore, or that parishes are rarely offering Confession any more. Neither of those things are true.

Yeah, see my posts in this thread. My parish offered about 20 hours of extra confession time this week. We were busy for most of that.

 

[babochka]

My teenagers went to confession this afternoon. They arrived 15 minutes before the scheduled time and there were already a dozen people in line. By the time the priest arrived there were 20 people there. When my kids were finished, the line held steady at about 20.

My husband took two of the other kids to a different parish and found a similar story.

I was at the Cathedral last week before a daily Mass and there were several people in line.

The shortest lines I encounter are usually at the FSSP parish, where they have 2 or 3 priests hearing confessions and 2 hours of scheduled confessions almost every day.

 

[Phemie]

Socrates92:

10?!?!? How?

Our parish has around 14,000 parishioners and we have around 80% Mass attendance. To accommodate everyone we have 10 Masses every Sunday (first one is at 5.30 am and last one at 8.30 pm).
Also on days of obligation apart from Sundays the Sunday Mass schedule is used (so 10 Masses on these days too).

Here we have 1500 parishioners and about 10% attendance. It would be lower but we’ve seen an influx of Filipinos over the last couple of years and they keep the numbers up.

Confessions are Saturday from 1-2 p.m. Only once have I encountered someone else there and it’s very rare to see a car there during that time. And no, there is no public transportation, and we’re the only parish in town.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Here we have 1500 parishioners and about 10% attendance.

How are they still considered parishioners if they never come to Mass and presumably never do anything else like contribute to the church, etc?

I can’t imagine that those people would be counted in a parish anyplace I live because usually they go by the parish census (which generally captures people who go to Mass and receive the instructions to fill out the card or the online form) and perhaps by any traceable contributors (like regular online donors) and don’t go counting people into the parish who never come to church or donate.

 

[babochka]

Phemie:

Here we have 1500 parishioners and about 10% attendance.

How are they still considered parishioners if they never come to Mass and presumably never do anything else like contribute to the church, etc?

I can’t imagine that those people would be counted in a parish anyplace I live because usually they go by the parish census (which generally captures people who go to Mass and receive the instructions to fill out the card or the online form) and perhaps by any traceable contributors (like regular online donors) and don’t go counting people into the parish who never come to church or donate.

All Catholics who live within parish boundaries are considered parishioners, even if they don’t attend Mass.

 

[TryingtoGainFaith]

Some have an inhibition to confess at a well acquainted priest. They might confess to other priests.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Right, but how do they know the Catholics are there to count them? How does the parish know Catholics live at 123 Main Street in the parish if said Catholics never come to Mass, never send in a donation in an envelope or via online, never do anything else at church? They could have died, moved, or converted to Islam for all the parish knows.

 

[babochka]

Right, but how do they know the Catholics are there to count them? How does the parish know Catholics live at 123 Main Street in the parish if said Catholics never come to Mass, never send in a donation in an envelope or via online, never do anything else at church? They could have died, moved, or converted to Islam for all the parish knows.

I’ve always wondered that myself.

 

[blackforest]

It takes a LOT to shock a priest. Believe me, they’ve heard much worse things than, “It’s been 5 years since my last confession.”

 

[IanM]

What the Hierarchy Will Not Admit.

Michael Voris obliquely touched on this in a recent Vortex where he points out some hard truths about the Hierarchy not admitting to themselves the real number of devout believers.

 

[Phemie]

Tis_Bearself:

Right, but how do they know the Catholics are there to count them? How does the parish know Catholics live at 123 Main Street in the parish if said Catholics never come to Mass, never send in a donation in an envelope or via online, never do anything else at church? They could have died, moved, or converted to Islam for all the parish knows.

I’ve always wondered that myself.

1. They self-identify as Catholics in the national census.
2. Our founding parishioners (ca. late 50s, early 60s) had many, many children who still live here. Those children have had children and grandchildren who were all baptized. Even if the parents never set foot in church they still expect their kids to be baptized and they usually are. Those folk are all on our parish list.
3. We’re responsible for the Catholic military members who are posted to the Base which forms part of our community. They have no Catholic Chaplain.
4. If they die we’re the first to hear about it.

 

[Cham65]

As Catholics we are so lucky to have the sacraments especially the sacrament of reconciliation. I know it can be difficult at times to talk to a priest about your sins,However rest assured that Father has heard them all before and is there to return us to Jesus.

From a personal perspective I always feel better going and when Father offers me guidance to overcome my sinful ways I find this so beneficial.

At the end of my confession I always end with a thank you to Father and ask for his prayers to help

 

[Peeps]

HOWEVER, IN GENERAL - yes too few attend confession and I think it’s because confession times are not convenient at many parishes. In generations past, families had little to do on a Saturday evening and could go to confession as a family.

Today, there are far too many things going on Saturdays.

This.

Our regular times for Sacrament of Reconciliation are Saturday mornings 9-10 a.m. and Saturday evenings 3-4 p.m.

I work on Saturdays. 6:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

And when I’m not working the weekend, I am usually playing piano/organ at different parishes, including my own, and the Mass starts at 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays (some parishes start their Mass at 4:00 p.m.), and that makes it very difficult for me to stand in a line and wait my turn and then go running up the aisle or into the balcony to run through the Psalm and other Mass parts (each parish has a different Mass setting, OF Mass) with the cantor/choir. I like to sit quietly at the organ/piano before Mass and think about the music–not likely to change that after many decades of doing church music. When I play, I consider it my responsibility to be calm and collected, not frazzled. After all, I’m playing for the King!

The times I generally get to the Sacrament of Reconciliation are during our parish missions, and during times when the parish has prolonged times of the Sacrament (e.g., during Lent) or times during the week.

If I am convicted by the Holy Spirit of a mortal sin, I make an appointment with Father and go after work or on a day off during the day.

I hope this is helpful.