Valid absolution

[Charliesj]

This feels like a silly question, but I’ve only been Catholic for about 6 months so it’s my first encounter with this situation.
I’m not very experienced with the sacrament of confession, I went once during Rcia and then monthly after that, in the last couple months I’ve been going weekly. Most of the time it’s been at my home parish in AZ or my “home away from home” parish in NM.

Today I wanted to go to confessions and looked up a church near home with Monday confessions. I arrived and there was only about 6 people ahead of me but the line ended up being about a 90 minute wait. Turns out the priest was giving very lengthy advice, almost like a counseling session.
My turn comes and I go in and tell my sins, the priest (who is African and heavily accented) gives me about 5-10 min of great advice for avoiding habitual sin. I then say an act of contrition, and here’s where I got confused, he says “I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit.”
He didn’t do the usually formula of absolution that I’ve heard for the last six months. I don’t know if that’s his personality or if it’s because English was likely not his native tongue.

Question:
If the priest doesn’t use the formula of absolution is the absolution still valid?

 

[bilop]

This feels like a silly question, but I’ve only been Catholic for about 6 months so it’s my first encounter with this situation.
I’m not very experienced with the sacrament of confession, I went once during Rcia and then monthly after that, in the last couple months I’ve been going weekly. Most of the time it’s been at my home parish in AZ or my “home away from home” parish in NM.

Today I wanted to go to confessions and looked up a church near home with Monday confessions. I arrived and there was only about 6 people ahead of me but the line ended up being about a 90 minute wait. Turns out the priest was giving very lengthy advice, almost like a counseling session.
My turn comes and I go in and tell my sins, the priest (who is African and heavily accented) gives me about 5-10 min of great advice for avoiding habitual sin. I then say an act of contrition, and here’s where I got confused, he says “I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit.”
He didn’t do the usually formula of absolution that I’ve heard for the last six months. I don’t know if that’s his personality or if it’s because English was likely not his native tongue.

Question:
If the priest doesn’t use the formula of absolution is the absolution still valid?

“I absolve you”, “ego te absolvo” in Latin, are the critical words for the sacrament to be valid.

He may have said the rest silently, or he may have ommitted them, but as long as he said “I absolve you” confession in the Latin rite is valid. Other catholic rites have different formulas.

God Bless

 

[porthos11]

This feels like a silly question, but I’ve only been Catholic for about 6 months so it’s my first encounter with this situation.
I’m not very experienced with the sacrament of confession, I went once during Rcia and then monthly after that, in the last couple months I’ve been going weekly. Most of the time it’s been at my home parish in AZ or my “home away from home” parish in NM.

Today I wanted to go to confessions and looked up a church near home with Monday confessions. I arrived and there was only about 6 people ahead of me but the line ended up being about a 90 minute wait. Turns out the priest was giving very lengthy advice, almost like a counseling session.
My turn comes and I go in and tell my sins, the priest (who is African and heavily accented) gives me about 5-10 min of great advice for avoiding habitual sin. I then say an act of contrition, and here’s where I got confused, he says “I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit.”
He didn’t do the usually formula of absolution that I’ve heard for the last six months. I don’t know if that’s his personality or if it’s because English was likely not his native tongue.

Question:
If the priest doesn’t use the formula of absolution is the absolution still valid?

Not sure what the concern is.

What he said is the correct minimum form necessary for absolution (and even then, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit, while important, are not even absolutely essential to the form). There is absolutely nothing wrong with what the priest said.

What’s the problem? Were you expecting something else?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

What’s the problem? Were you expecting something else?

I’m guessing the OP was expecting the full prayer:

God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

It’s a reasonable expectation.

OP, if you ever find yourself uncomfortable with something in confession, feel free to ask the priest about it. I’d have no problem with saying, “Father, I’m used to hearing the whole prayer of absolution. Would you say the whole thing?”

 

[porthos11]

OP, if you ever find yourself uncomfortable with something in confession, feel free to ask the priest about it. I’d have no problem with saying, “Father, I’m used to hearing the whole prayer of absolution. Would you say the whole thing?”

Hm. Perhaps.

I wouldn’t though. If the form was valid, then there is no good reason to impose on the priest. Under no circumstances will I ever ask him to repeat himself when a valid absolution has already been given. Especially simply because I prefer it.

 

[LiamQ]

If the form was valid…

I do agree.

As an aside, it does seem kind of silly to have a shortened form of absolution, with a confessor including only the essential form, but yet to offer some 10 minutes of counseling to each penitent. Six confessions should not take an hour-and-a-half, IMHO.

In fact, the OPs situation was on a Monday, but I’ve seen his scenario play out on Saturday, just before the anticipatory Mass. It’s certainly a bit unfair to take an extraordinarily long time with each penitent, and to then have to turn several away because the priest has to go say Mass.

 

[Charliesj]

I’m guessing the OP was expecting the full prayer:

God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

It’s a reasonable expectation.

OP, if you ever find yourself uncomfortable with something in confession, feel free to ask the priest about it. I’d have no problem with saying, “Father, I’m used to hearing the whole prayer of absolution. Would you say the whole thing?”

Yes that was my concern exactly. I know that a sacrament has to have the requisite matter and form to be valid, I didn’t know if the whole prayer needed to be prayer or if the shortened version would be ok.
Thanks

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Hm. Perhaps.

I wouldn’t though. If the form was valid, then there is no good reason to impose on the priest. Under no circumstances will I ever ask him to repeat himself when a valid absolution has already been given. Especially simply because I prefer it.

In this case, the penitent didn’t know if a valid absolution had been given. A priest shouldn’t leave someone walking out of the confessional wondering if his sins had been forgiven or not. And if the priest is spending 15 minutes with each penitent, he can spend 30 seconds saying the prayer properly.

I don’t think that saying the prayer the Church has provided constitutes “imposing” on the priest.

 

[angell1]

I have a related question actually. might as well not bother starting a new thread on this.

I have several priests not ask for the act of contrition to be said before absolution. they just go straight in to the prayer. does this affect the validity or make it illicit in any way?

I usually try to say it anywyas, quietly at the same time as him, by the time I realize that they didn’t ask for it.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I have a related question actually. might as well not bother starting a new thread on this.

I have several priests not ask for the act of contrition to be said before absolution. they just go straight in to the prayer. does this affect the validity or make it illicit in any way?

I usually try to say it anywyas, quietly at the same time as him, by the time I realize that they didn’t ask for it.

From the Ask an Apologist Forum:

Is the Act of Contrition necessary for a valid confession?

 

[Neofight]

It’s not an issue of validity it an issue licitcy.

It would be invalid if, for one example, that person was not an ordained priest. If he was ordained and slipped or otherwise unintentionally erred it might be illicit…however if just illicit, it would not effect the validity of your being absolved…it would be his bad, not yours.

Pax et bonum!

 

[porthos11]

In this case, the penitent didn’t know if a valid absolution had been given. A priest shouldn’t leave someone walking out of the confessional wondering if his sins had been forgiven or not. And if the priest is spending 15 minutes with each penitent, he can spend 30 seconds saying the prayer properly.

I don’t think that saying the prayer the Church has provided constitutes “imposing” on the priest.

It can be, especially since the priest has already done his job and properly. It comes across as arrogant and is indeed an imposition, since it’s letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. This is asking the priest to repeat a valid absolution, and is, at the very least, rude.

A priest using the minimum, while not ideal, is also not on the hook for a penitent doubting whether his absolution is valid or not. That is neither the priest’s fault nor his problem; it is with the penitent who, if properly catechized, should have no doubts that the essential form is “I absolve you.” If he said something doubtful, like “I forgive you” or “God forgives you”, then yes, by all means, impose, or find another confessor. But not when the priest already did and said what the Church requires.

 

[porthos11]

I have a related question actually. might as well not bother starting a new thread on this.

I have several priests not ask for the act of contrition to be said before absolution. they just go straight in to the prayer. does this affect the validity or make it illicit in any way?

I usually try to say it anywyas, quietly at the same time as him, by the time I realize that they didn’t ask for it.

No.

A simple expression of “For these sins I am sorry” is sufficient. You can recite the Act of Contrition privately to yourself prior to confession or after you leave, if you wish, but for Confession, a short expression of sorrow is sufficient.

It does not invalidate your confession or make it illicit.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

In this case, the penitent didn’t know if a valid absolution had been given. A priest shouldn’t leave someone walking out of the confessional wondering if his sins had been forgiven or not. And if the priest is spending 15 minutes with each penitent, he can spend 30 seconds saying the prayer properly.

I don’t think that saying the prayer the Church has provided constitutes “imposing” on the priest.

The Church also has provided to confessors latitude, which we are free to use. Especially when it involves a discretionary grant, such as using only the essential form of the sacrament as cited in this instance, it is the confessor’s judgment.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

It’s not an issue of validity it an issue licitcy.

It would be invalid if, for one example, that person was not an ordained priest. If he was ordained and slipped or otherwise unintentionally erred it might be illicit…however if just illicit, it would not effect the validity of your being absolved…it would be his bad, not yours.

Pax et bonum!

In this case, the issue presented does not even rise to the level of liceity.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

The Church also has provided to confessors latitude, which we are free to use. Especially when it involves a discretionary grant, such as using only the essential form of the sacrament as cited in this instance, it is the confessor’s judgment.

I stand corrected.

For myself, I’ll continue going to confession to a priest who is willing to say the whole prayer. I think “God, the father of mercies” is one of the most beautiful titles we can use.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

I stand corrected.

For myself, I’ll continue going to confession to a priest who is willing to say the whole prayer. I think “God, the father of mercies” is one of the most beautiful titles we can use.

Unquestionably, the formula used today is beautiful for those who hear it. The imagery is indeed lovely. Personally, I found the preceding form to be more precise, theologically and canonically, in its composition and expression as it was more juridical. It is, however, without the evocative imagery that is appreciated by the penitent.

The rites give latitude to the minister of the sacrament – and I felt it important to stress the point I did given certain comments, such as asking a celebrant to recite the whole formula after he has imparted absolution by the essential form.

It would be wholly wrong to request that of a priest and. above all, for him to do that, as it is not a prayer…it is the form for confecting a sacrament. Once the sacrament is confected, it is confected. If it was indeed confected, it would be gravely sinful for the priest to attempt to re-confect a sacrament that is already confected since the confection is drawing upon the Supreme Priestly Act of Christ.

I will say that, personally, I would normally only go to the essential form in a situation such as pastoral care for the dying where I am in a race against time to administer all the rites before death occurs while also acting in tandem with a medical team who are doing, often intense, medical procedures at the same time that I am administering sacraments. It is important, obviously, we don’t get in each others way.

Since it is discretionary, however, my discretion can be different from that of my brother priests. It is not wrong. They are just applying the discretion differently than I choose. I used to teach this in sacramental preparation, knowing my students…when they gained pastoral experience…very likely would and certainly could use the latitude differently than I choose to.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

I, too, **prefer **the full prayer. What I need, however, is absolution and as the short form suffices I just go to confession to whichever priest shows up at church each week. It could be the pastor, the parochial vicar, or a retired priest from the area who has been kind enough to fill in for the weekend.

One of our retired priests uses an abbreviated form for absolution and his penances are always “say a prayer of your choosing.” Another of the retired priests never asks for me to say an Act of Contrition. Neither of these is what I prefer but the Church in her wisdom has deemed these sufficient. The only real problem is that in essentially choosing my own penance I’m harder on myself than most priests who impose a more specific penance.

To the OP, be at peace.