Went to Confession and

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sjsander

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no one showed up. My church offers confession M-F from 7:30-8AM and 11:30AM-12PM so today I wanted to go at 11:30. I went into the church early and sat in the pew for about a minute. Then I tried the knob on the priest’s door to the confessional and noticed it was unlocked so I went in a turned on the light (I wanted to do a face-to-face confession). I wait for about 15-20 mins and no one came so I left. Did I do something wrong? I have not done a confession in a long time.
 
You did nothing wrong… that is sad to hear 😦 is there another time you can go?
 
I can try going tomorrow at the same time or on say from 330-430 pm. I also emailed the parish secretary to if maybe it was because tonight starts the 40 hours of eucharistic adoration? Not sure. I had my first communion in this church but part of me is wanting to explore another catholic church but at the same time I feel as though I would be turning my back on them…
 
I am sorry. this has happened to me so often that i wrote the director for the ministry of reconciliation. he also apologized and suggested we both pray for the ministry throughout the dioceses. Our Father brings us to confession. I pray the Lords prayer for the ministers of confession in Holy, Mother, Teacher Church.

peace
 
That’s unfortunate. 😦

Perhaps it was just bad luck. Sometimes during the summer, schedules can have a bit more variation. Or perhaps your priest was called away at the last moment to visit someone dying in a hospital. These sorts of things happen.

Would it be possible to put in a quick call to the parish office and verify that there will be a priest there at the day and time you wish to go? That may be your best bet.
 
Yes I feel your pain. No, you’ve done nothing wrong. I occasionally attend a novus ordo church because it’s very close. I am one of very, VERY few sinners who attend that church. I assume so anyway based on the confessional being abandoned on Saturdays yet the communion lines being completely and totally packed on Sundays. Oh well, not by business. You can always schedule an appointment with the office so you can be sure to get a confession.

God bless!
 
CopyKat said:
Yes I feel your pain. No, you’ve done nothing wrong. I occasionally attend a novus ordo church because it’s very close. I am one of very, VERY few sinners who attend that church.
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Oddly every time I go to confession I seem to be the only one there. Last time I went I was a bit nervous so I waited outside of the confession booth and kind of meditated and prayed for about 30 min. before entering. I was the only one there during all that time.
I hardly noticed anyone before or after me waiting. I don’t think many people go to confession or it was a coincidence or I’m one of the few people who sin:p.
 
Best bet is to call the parish and either make an appointment or ask to be sure the priest is available for the next scheduled time. As others have said, he may have been called away, or the times may have changed. Since you planned to do a face to face confession, an appointment is probably best.
 
Lui said:
Oddly every time I go to confession I seem to be the only one there. Last time I went I was a bit nervous so I waited outside of the confession booth and kind of meditated and prayed for about 30 min. before entering. I was the only one there during all that time.
I hardly noticed anyone before or after me waiting. I don’t think many people go to confession or it was a coincidence or I’m one of the few people who sin:p.
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I think it depends upon the area. At the parishes in my present place of residence, there are always long lines for Confession.

But at the parish I grew up in, I don’t think they even had a scheduled confession time until the bishop made it a rule for all parishes in his diocese (and that wasn’t until I was in my 20s).
 
sjsander said:
no one showed up. My church offers confession M-F from 7:30-8AM and 11:30AM-12PM so today I wanted to go at 11:30. I went into the church early and sat in the pew for about a minute. Then I tried the knob on the priest’s door to the confessional and noticed it was unlocked so I went in a turned on the light (I wanted to do a face-to-face confession). I wait for about 15-20 mins and no one came so I left. Did I do something wrong? I have not done a confession in a long time.
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I can see how this could be discouraging and it is certainly an unfortunate incident. More than likely the priest got an emergency call at the last minute (such as to do the Last Rites at a hospital), or maybe the priest fell ill, or his car broke down on the way, etc. Just give it another shot when confessions are scheduled again.
 
Maybe there was an emergency?

This week when I went to confession Father was late by about 15 minutes and a we had a nice little line going. 🙂
 
Hi Guys,
I went again today and no one showed up AGAIN! I am unsure of what to do. Any suggestions?
 
Call the parish and find out if they are still having confession at that time. Or call another parish and see when they have theirs…
 
sjsander said:
Hi Guys,
I went again today and no one showed up AGAIN! I am unsure of what to do. Any suggestions?
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Wow. You would think that if the times were changed or if there was an emergency of sorts, there would be a sign up explaining this. Please do call and find out what’s going on! How very frustrating!
 
sjsander said:
Hi Guys,
I went again today and no one showed up AGAIN! I am unsure of what to do. Any suggestions?
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The only thing I can think of is to call and find out. That’s the quickest way to figure out what is going on.

Where have you been looking to find the Confession times? Perhaps the time changed and your source of information is outdated.
 
MrPip said:
Call and make an appointment :)!

Blessings,
Jeff
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That’s probably a good idea, however, the priest should not expect people to do this, as it negates their right to an anonymous confession. That also can happen when the priest hears confessions after Mass instead of before. I was in a parish once where this was the norm, and after greeting all of the parishioners after the Mass, the priest proceeded to walk by the line of penitents and smilingly greet everyone that he knew by name!
 
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