So frustrated!

[LaSainte]

I was turned away from confession today along with about 20 other people because there was only 1 priest to hear confessions and he had to say mass. This is not the first time this has happened to me. I arrived early with my family today, anticipating a crowd, but also assuming that there would be more than one priest on the Wednesday before Easter.

As Catholics, we are required to take communion at Eastertime, and now I and my family will be unable to do so. After waiting in line for an hour, the priest came out and said he had to go and say mass. The man in front of me had typed his entire confession out and was nervously reviewing it while in line. It takes guts and moral courage to work up the strength to come to confession, and to have people turned away is terrible. Who knows when or if these people will make it back.

As I said, this is not the first time this has happened to me. 30 minutes is simply not enough time to hear the confessions of the members of a parish of 5000 families and I would think that the needs of the people would be better anticipated, especially before Easter.

Several other times, I have shown up only to have the door locked with confession unexpectedly cancelled. I would hope that this would have been noted either in the bulletin or online.

It is so disheartening to be turned away after making a sincere examination of conscience and working up the courage to disclose your innermost failings to a priest and to walk away still burdened with the weight of your sins. I was really hoping for a lovely Easter, free from my sins, and now I will just have to sit in the pew while communion goes on! Grrrrr!

 

[1ke]

Yes, as Catholics we are required to receive the Eucharist during the Easter season.

However, the Easter duty can be fulfilled any time from the beginning of Lent through Trinity Sunday (June 3rd this year).

So, despite your inability to go to Confession today, you have plenty of time to do so before the end of the Easter season. And, if you have received the Eucharist any time since the beginning of Lent, you have already fulfilled the specific obligation you are talking about.

 

[LaSainte]

Yes, as Catholics we are required to receive the Eucharist during the Easter season.

However, the Easter duty can be fulfilled any time from the beginning of Lent through Trinity Sunday (June 3rd this year).

So, despite your inability to go to Confession today, you have plenty of time to do so before the end of the Easter season. And, if you have received the Eucharist any time since the beginning of Lent, you have already fulfilled the specific obligation you are talking about.

Thank you. It’s good to know that I can still fulfill this obligation. I’m just frustrated win the whole thing I suppose. It’s an ongoing theme at our parish. In the 4 years I have been a member, more often than not I am either turned away or confession is cancelled. Our parish is huge and does very well financially. I can’t understand why they would allow this to keep happening.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

Yes, as Catholics we are required to receive the Eucharist during the Easter season.

However, the Easter duty can be fulfilled any time from the beginning of Lent through Trinity Sunday (June 3rd this year).

So, despite your inability to go to Confession today, you have plenty of time to do so before the end of the Easter season. And, if you have received the Eucharist any time since the beginning of Lent, you have already fulfilled the specific obligation you are talking about.

Thank you for this information. I always thought it was “Lent”

We missed confession this week. (me and two big children) I think they have confessions Friday Morning and Saturday morning at my parish. But toddler is too big to bring in with me, and too small to sit quietly without me.

LaSainte, any other parish nearby you might try for confession?

 

[LaSainte]

Thank you for this information. I always thought it was “Lent”

We missed confession this week. (me and two big children) I think they have confessions Friday Morning and Saturday morning at my parish. But toddler is too big to bring in with me, and too small to sit quietly without me.

LaSainte, any other parish nearby you might try for confession?

I wouldn’t say “nearby”. Our parish is 15-20 mins away and is closest. Hubby is also slammed at work this week so he can’t watch the kids and can’t come with me. I may check around and see if any parishes offer Saturday confession-ours doesn’t this week. I’m just grumpy about it because it is something I really really dread for the whole week until its over and I was looking forward to being done with it. Will probably take me another month to get the courage up again! I’ll check around and see what I can find. Thanks Mary Gail!

 

[AnnArbor]

As Catholics, we are required to take communion at Eastertime, and now I and my family will be unable to do so.

You have the entire Easter season, and also, is the entire family in a state of mortal sin??? If your only sins are venial, you can still receive Communion. Peace!

 

[kmuestwin]

My suggestion is to try and call a parish and make an appointment. It’s sad that you would have to do that but if you know that you need a confession, it is the best thing you can do.

 

[Phemie]

I’m in the same boat. Had to work the night of the Penitential Service and Fr. Administrator doesn’t offer any scheduled Confessions. He was asked to show up 15 minutes before Masses and be present in the confessional but his response to that was to smile and say “I’ll try” and he’s either not shown up until scant minutes before Masses or cancelled the weekday Masses and Saturday evening Masses altogether.

This time I know that he’s been sick, but when he was our pastor he cancelled the scheduled confession where we knew we’d find a priest in the confessional 45 minutes before the Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses. Refused to sit in the confessional because “nobody comes”. This was never reinstated so our parish has been without scheduled confessions for the last 7.5 years. The closest parish is 6-7 hours away depending on the road conditions and my habit was to go to confession before heading out over that road.

 

[LaSainte]

You have the entire Easter season, and also, is the entire family in a state of mortal sin??? If your only sins are venial, you can still receive Communion. Peace!

Yes, my husband and I need to go to confession before receiving the Eucharist. My kids are 2 and 7 months so we have to bring them when we go. Looks like we will be sitting this one out.

 

[LaSainte]

My suggestion is to try and call a parish and make an appointment. It’s sad that you would have to do that but if you know that you need a confession, it is the best thing you can do.

No way! I am confession-phobic. My worst nightmare is a face-to-face confession. That’s why I am so upset about this. It literally takes me months to work up the courage to go.

 

[LaSainte]

I’m in the same boat. Had to work the night of the Penitential Service and Fr. Administrator doesn’t offer any scheduled Confessions. He was asked to show up 15 minutes before Masses and be present in the confessional but his response to that was to smile and say “I’ll try” and he’s either not shown up until scant minutes before Masses or cancelled the weekday Masses and Saturday evening Masses altogether.

This time I know that he’s been sick, but when he was our pastor he cancelled the scheduled confession where we knew we’d find a priest in the confessional 45 minutes before the Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses. Refused to sit in the confessional because “nobody comes”. This was never reinstated so our parish has been without scheduled confessions for the last 7.5 years. The closest parish is 6-7 hours away depending on the road conditions and my habit was to go to confession before heading out over that road.

Unbelievable! Have you written the bishop?

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

No way! I am confession-phobic. My worst nightmare is a face-to-face confession. That’s why I am so upset about this. It literally takes me months to work up the courage to go.

If you really need to go that badly, you do what it takes. I have social anxiety disorder so for me I have to fight off anxiety attacks while confessing. When I was returning to the church and needed to go to confession, I kept running into problems with scheduled confession and priests not showing up. Desperate, I decided to break both rules, no appointment making and no annonymous confession. I went to a Saturday evening Mass and asked the priest prior to mass if he could hear my confession after mass. He rudely flat out refused which left me quite upset. I finally got so frustrated I drove to another city where the FSSP were at.

 

[Phemie]

Unbelievable! Have you written the bishop?

At the time that he was our Pastor, he and the then-Bishop had been seminary buddies and he ignored everything the Bishop said. After I heard the bishop tell him that what he had on the altar as an altar cloth was inappropriate and I heard him respond “I know you hate it but I’m not changing it,” I knew that that was not a recourse.

Last fall, at his first Sunday Mass after the new bishop’s visit, he made a point of genuflecting after the consecration (something he’d never done before), grinned at us and said, “Make sure you let the bishop know,” provoking great laughter from the assembly. He hasn’t genuflected since.

We have no pastor and he’s made it clear that as administrator, although he lives just behind the church, he’s only there to celebrate the Mass and wants nothing to do with anything else at the parish. Heck, he’d made it clear when he was our pastor that he didn’t want anything to do with our parish – no really, he said “I didn’t want to be Pastor here.”

 

[jpjd]

Pray for our priests, and pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. May I suggest to everyone that you offer your Good Friday fast for this intention.

 

[LaSainte]

At the time that he was our Pastor, he and the then-Bishop had been seminary buddies and he ignored everything the Bishop said. After I heard the bishop tell him that what he had on the altar as an altar cloth was inappropriate and I heard him respond “I know you hate it but I’m not changing it,” I knew that that was not a recourse.

Last fall, at his first Sunday Mass after the new bishop’s visit, he made a point of genuflecting after the consecration (something he’d never done before), grinned at us and said, “Make sure you let the bishop know,” provoking great laughter from the assembly. He hasn’t genuflected since.

We have no pastor and he’s made it clear that as administrator, although he lives just behind the church, he’s only there to celebrate the Mass and wants nothing to do with anything else at the parish. Heck, he’d made it clear when he was our pastor that he didn’t want anything to do with our parish – no really, he said “I didn’t want to be Pastor here.”

This is incredible. I have never heard of such a thing before. I wonder what he can possibly be thinking?

 

[IrishAm]

Yes, as Catholics we are required to receive the Eucharist during the Easter season.

However, the Easter duty can be fulfilled any time from the beginning of Lent through Trinity Sunday (June 3rd this year).

So, despite your inability to go to Confession today, you have plenty of time to do so before the end of the Easter season. And, if you have received the Eucharist any time since the beginning of Lent, you have already fulfilled the specific obligation you are talking about.

Good information, 1ke. I try to make it a point to go to confession just before Lent begins (Jeudi gras or “fat Thursday,” the Thursday before Ash Wednesday), during the octave of Easter, during the next 33 days of Easter, and then between Ascension Thursday and Pentacost (a Pentacost novena time period). It always astounds me how many blessings seem to come from this little discipline . . .

 

[The_Curt_Jester]

No way! I am confession-phobic. My worst nightmare is a face-to-face confession. That’s why I am so upset about this. It literally takes me months to work up the courage to go.

Making an appointment doesn’t mean face-to-face. I’ve made appointments before and, when asked, I stated that I’d prefer to make my confession in a confessional rather than in an open room. Of course the priest still knew who I was, but I’m much more comfortable using the confessional. In all likelihood he’d have recognized my voice anyway.

 

[Monica4316]

As Catholics, we are required to take communion at Eastertime, and now I and my family will be unable to do so.

Keep in mind this canon refers to the time between Easter vigil and Trinity Sunday, not just Easter day… so you have several more weeks to fulfill your obligation there’s a thread about this: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=661942

I sympathize with you though I know that must be tough, especially after the preparation, etc. My parish had a Reconciliation evening with many priests, yesterday evening. Another parish in the area had Confession available from 9:30 am to 9 pm all day yesterday. But not all parishes do this, and sometimes there are not enough priests, like you said there was only one priest in the church and he had to say Mass. It’s easier if there are many priests.

I hope that you’ll be able to go to Confession after Easter and try to not hold on to any frustration or feelings about what happened, or towards the parish, or the priest, etc, - it’s regrettable not to be able to go to Confession, but just try to pray during Easter Mass.

God bless