The Sin Box: Why have Catholics stopped lining up at the confessional

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An article on MSN Slate:

The Sin Box: Why have Catholics stopped lining up at the confessional?

A Catholic friend of mine recently went to confession at her parish church for the first time in years. She had personal reasons for wanting to seek absolution, but there was this, too: She said she’d long felt a little sorry for the priests sitting alone in their confessional boxes, waiting for sinners to arrive.

slate.com/id/2130589/?GT1=7407

I like this sentence:

But done right, Catholic confession demands a rigorous examination of conscience and real contrition, to say nothing of the prayers you may be assigned for penance and the thinking a priest may ask you to do about the ways you’ve let yourself and God down.
 
According to Father Bill Casey, superior general of the Fathers of Mercy (CPM) of Russellville, Ky.,

There are one of two things happening because of the lack of lines to the confessional:
a). We have a whole host of people ready for canonization. Or,

b). There are a whole lot of sacriligous communions taking place.

Which is the more likely of the two?

You **go **Fr. Casey!
 
Confession? We don’t do that anymore do we? :banghead:

Poor Catechesis, poor homilies, and now you have to make an appointment.

I recently heard that confession helps keep Satan out. Any correlations seen in our society?
 
Buffalo is quite right. I see 12 or so folks lined up for confession Saturday, but 300 people go receive communion on Sunday.

Part of the problem is the availability of the sacrament. You used to be able to get it* before* mass. In my diocese priests have more than one parish to attend to. That does seem lead to the drop in available times for confession.

Add to that the fact that they don’t seem to preach it any more, You never hear it mentioned. Along with all of our Catholic traditions. Don’t get me started.😉

Steve
 
We have downplayed the role and reality of sin in our society. We don’t believe in sin anymore so why confess it? We are starting to drift towards the Protestant idea that everybody is saved regardless of their situation. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen and heard people who profess the be Catholics say they don’t need confession because Christs death is the only source of salvation needed, and that nothing else is required…

It is interesting to note that Pope John Paul II of blessed memory is said to have confessed at least once a week for up to thirty minutes each time. And just think, most of us can’t even do it once a year.

Amazing, absolutely amazing. :confused:
 
Abysmal cathechesis is, IMHO, the prime reason. More correctly, mal-cathechesis. I would also suggest the change in form by having face-to-face confession tends to make it more intimidating to many - so they decide not to go. People don’t like to admit to another person - even one in persona Christi - that they are sinners. With the drop in numbers, there has been a related drop in hours when it’s available - so it’s more difficult to go. A positive thing, in general, is that I find most confessors take real time with the penitents compared to what they took when the lines were long. A down side of that is one time I was # 6 in line and 1 1/2 hours later the priest had not got to me - and left to say Mass. Mea culpa - but what did those 5 people have to confess for all that time. 🙂 At least if they had serious sin, they got serious counseling and pastoral care.
 
It has been said if people used confession as they are supposed to there would be no need for psychiatrists.
 
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johnnykins:
Abysmal cathechesis is, IMHO, the prime reason. More correctly, mal-cathechesis. I would also suggest the change in form by having face-to-face confession tends to make it more intimidating to many - so they decide not to go. People don’t like to admit to another person - even one in persona Christi - that they are sinners. With the drop in numbers, there has been a related drop in hours when it’s available - so it’s more difficult to go. A positive thing, in general, is that I find most confessors take real time with the penitents compared to what they took when the lines were long. A down side of that is one time I was # 6 in line and 1 1/2 hours later the priest had not got to me - and left to say Mass. Mea culpa - but what did those 5 people have to confess for all that time. 🙂 At least if they had serious sin, they got serious counseling and pastoral care.
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I agree that people don’t like the face-to-face confessions. I don’t. Maybe they have lost faith in the priest due to the abuse scandels, etc. Way back when, if we didn’t go to confession, we didn’t go to Holy Communion. A priest told me once that during Mass, your sins are forgiven three times. So you only need to go to confession for mortal sins. I believe he was wrong. He also forgave the sins of the whole congregation at one time, without anybody going to confession. Go figure!
 
I think the number one reason is the availability, many churches only make time for it one day a week, the times I have seen usually something like Saturday 4-5pm. Now is that lousy or what? Most people are not comfortable making an appointment and it shouldnt be left up to them like that. One place I go every once in a while, it is offered 30min before each daily mass, there are always people there. Im sure if there was a set up like this in many more places and even on Sunday it would greatly reduce people in mortal sin abusing the Eucharist and build them up in the process.

At the same time I think this lousy scheduling goes hand in hand with downplaying sin, especially the grave ones.
 
Catholic Dude:
I think the number one reason is the availability, many churches only make time for it one day a week, the times I have seen usually something like Saturday 4-5pm. Now is that lousy or what? …At the same time I think this lousy scheduling goes hand in hand with downplaying sin, especially the grave ones.
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THAT’S what I think is key is this whole *“scheduling confessions” *bit. I think that a priest should make the time if someone needs to confess their sins - period. If you’re only going to give the whole community a one-hour window per week to confess sins, don’t be surprised that fewer sinners are showing up.
 
It’s availability that’s the problem. If every priest set aside one hour of the day for confession, I bet lots of people would go. This one hour on Saturday thing isn’t enough time, IMHO.

Incidentally, are there places where you HAVE to go face to face? My experience has been that this is only an option and you can go behind the screen if you wish.
 
Lots of people show up during the reconcilliation services during advent and lent. (You know, six priests stationed around the joint, lines everywhere).

I don’t think the average Jane falls into mortal sin every week. Twice a year just might cover her. However, confession more often is a great idea for many people!

Forcing people to make an appointment for confession…that is an impediment for many people!!!:banghead:
 
With an appointment it is hard to remain anonymous; I’ve known of confession rooms that did not have a screen - though admitedly haven’t seen one lately; they were quite the norm when they first came in to use. I know of one parish where the confessional is glass on two sides - so you get to watch the confession!! Needless to say they have hordes lining up.
 
At the two churches I’ve been at, you have the option of confessing face to face or behind a screen. So that is not the problem for so few people showing up.

I noticed that the people who showed up are regulars, I seen them every time I go to confession.

At both my churches, there is only 1 hour alloted per week for confession :eek: and sometimes you will have to wait close to an hour before you can confess. Seems like some people take 10-20 minutes with the priest. Personally, I think they should just make an appointment with the priest if the confession is going to be taking longer than 5 minutes each. Fortunately, our waiting room is also the Blessed Sacrament room so you can adore Christ while waiting.

Another good reason why people don’t go to confession is: moral relativism… it’s not a grave sin to me so why would I go and confess? My conscience tells me it is not a grave sin and everyone is doing it… it goes down hill from there.

Warmest regards,
-Ben
 
Glass on two sides? I smell a reality TV show there somewhere. 😃

I am trying to go weekly now. There are usually a few people - usually senior citizens.

The priest is super nice and very approachable, but I’ve always felt weird about setting an appointment (I do go f2f) because I feel like he’s probably got a full schedule anyway.

In addition to forgiveness of sin, I always feel infused with strength and a marked lessening in the desire to sin.

I need all the help I can get! 😉
 
The idea of sin is fading in our culture, even in the Catholic community.

Many in the world were outraged when Pope Pius IX pronounced that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived immaculately.

Now, it seems that nearly everyone believes in the Immaculate Conception, both of Mary and of themselves!

We need more opportunity for confession and more preaching about why we need to receive this sacrament.
 
I have to hand it to our priest: He gives the time to hear confessions, with optional face-to-face. Saturday afternoon (of course), Sunday between the two Masses, Wednesday morning- early. And he is available for appointments, and when he talks with/ counsels people, he asks if they’d like to “go to confession”. He works it into scaramental prep, starting with the baptism class for parents-to-be. And he’s running a one-man show, so to speak.

That being said- Our bishop has mandated that each parish BETTER have scheduled an hour and a half per priest in the parish MINIMUM. That is certianly not a long time to ask.

As for what a priest can do while waiting, he can pray the Liturgy of the Hours, read Scripture or some work worthy of contemplation, etc.

As an aside, the options are supposed to be in place for a choice between traditional “box” or its variant, the screen, and face-to-face. I guess some places have ignorred this. I’ve read of a clear glass booth, kind of like a game show. That would certainly send me packing to anyplace else.

I think it’s a combination of factors, starting with poor catechesis and worse psychology. Not only is nobody a sinner any more, but we can’t even label sin a sin without being considered politically incorrect. I’m not a fan of the “box”, but I think it’s a good idea to have it there. Some sins are harder to confess than others, and the feeling of anonymity is a good idea.
 
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buffalo:
It has been said if people used confession as they are supposed to there would be no need for psychiatrists.
Click to expand...
I believe this. Every time I go (especially to face-to-face) I end up feeling like I’ve gotten a bunch of free therapy- along with the grace to try harder to not repeat the sins. I wish we were catechized to see it as God’s way of healing us and reconciling us to Him and the Church rather than just “bad sinner” punishment.

I can’t imagine having to make an appointment for confession. Some days it’s hard enough just to reach the priest on the phone, let alone make an appointment for something that most people find extremely difficult. I’m blessed to have a number of local parishes with walk-in confession times scheduled for Saturday afternoons.

What is heartening- I’ve gone a few times recently and only once did I not have to wait in line.
 
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BasBleu:
An article on MSN Slate:

The Sin Box: Why have Catholics stopped lining up at the confessional?
Click to expand...
Because the vast majority of people feel it is just fine to absolve themselves, if they believe they are even capable of sin.

:rolleyes:
 
May I have say here? I go to confession once a month, more if needed. I converted 3 years ago and love the confessional. I have left the parish I attended for RCIA. They almost never had a priest for confessions availiable. The only time set aside for confessions was 15 min before Mass. The 2 priests we had rarely showed up. The pastor is 74 and the other is in his 80’s and in and out of the hospital. This doesn’t seem to be the exception. I showed up at the Cathedral in our city at the time listed in the bulletin. No priest was availiable. I had to search around until I found churches that have a regular time set aside. I found a church in our city that has Confession an hour an a half everyday(7 days a week). The lines are VERY long. My point is…Is the confessionals empty because some parishes have abanded it or abanded because no one shows up?
 
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