Why is confession dwindling?

[johnmann]

1. Sins once confessed have lost their secular stigma. I can’t imagine there are many people confessing to using birth control or having gay sex. They’re socially acceptable and, like it or not, people’s sense of morality is largely shaped by society.
2. Less faith in the power of confession. Part of it is a generally decline in faith. Part of it is a decline in the social status of priests. Part of it is poor catechisis. Lots of reasons.
3. Less availability. It’s a vicious cycle. Less people go to confession so there’s less time devoted to it. Plus fewer priests.

 

[PietroPaolo]

Simple. People don’t believe in sin because they don’t really believe in hell. If everyone is ultimately saved then why bother with confession?

My guess is they also hear approximately zero times about the need for confession from the pulpit in your parish on a yearly basis. If father isn’t willing to mention the need for confession, why should his flock think it’s important.

 

[hadulzo]

Confession is dwindling because many Catholics only have religious education to the 5th grade level. Also I think when they started having penitential services people assumed confession wasn’t needed. I think if you don’t go once a month, one month becomes two, two become three. I kept putting it off and shamefully went after 11 months!! People are real nervous at that point and would risk eternal damnation to a confession. Go figure. Narrow gate or the wide gate? BTW, I love Father Larry Richards CD on Confession. I play that when I have trouble getting motivated to go. An yes our church has it every Saturday. If it is cancelled, it is announced in the bulletin the week before.

 

[WingsOfEagles]

Confession is dwindling because many Catholics only have religious education to the 5th grade level. ** Also I think when they started having penitential services people assumed confession wasn’t needed.** I think if you don’t go once a month, one month becomes two, two become three. I kept putting it off and shamefully went after 11 months!! People are real nervous at that point and would risk eternal damnation to a confession. Go figure. Narrow gate or the wide gate? BTW, I love Father Larry Richards CD on Confession. I play that when I have trouble getting motivated to go. An yes our church has it every Saturday. If it is cancelled, it is announced in the bulletin the week before.

Do not all Penitential services include Confession as well? Any I have been to around here involved a group service, but the priests then stayed to hear individual confessions.

 

[teeboy]

I have heard this issue becoming quite common with listed Confession times. In the Priest’s defense, I think he is sitting there alone so often that it seems silly to keep sitting in an empty church.

I believe you are right.

 

[Cat]

We have the Sacrament of Reconciliation almost every day. Our parish Confession times are pretty crowded.

We live about 65 miles west of Chicago, so you’re welcome to drive over our way and go to Confession!

I’m wondering if in the City of Chicago, the actual city, not the burbs, perhaps the priests expect people to make appointments for Confession, and if no one calls, the doors are not opened for safety reasons. It’s a tough city, and this summer has been rather violent–lots of shootings. (Back around the 4th of July, I believe there was one day when over 70 people were shot, and 14 of them died.)

I’m thinking that perhaps the priests in the city parishes are just trying to keep their parishes safe by scheduling Confessions instead of just opening the doors of the Church to who knows who. Sad situation, but that’s the reality we all live in nowadays.

 

[TK421]

The people that avoid Confession are the ones that haven’t been through it before, and I’m not talking about their 4th grade Confession where they tell the priest that they smacked a kid at recess. I’m talking about slinking into the Confessional as an adult with your heart in your throat. If you can get the person to experience that once - just once, I firmly believe it will have a powerful charismatic pull to bring them back. It is a Sacrament that is bitter in smell, bitter in taste, but richly sweet in its aftertaste.

 

[ProVobis]

Chicago…

I haven’t found the archdiocese to be that bad. Not where I go anyway. I find the lack of confession lines more in the far suburbs.

 

[Holly3278]

I think it is incredibly sad that there are so few people going to Confession any more. At the parish here in town where I am a member, there are never any scheduled Confession times except for once or twice during Lent and I think once or twice during Advent.

In another parish in another town about 20 minutes away they have Confession on Saturdays for about an hour and a half. They also have Confession before the Spanish Mass on Sunday but I am not sure how long it lasts for. At my favorite parish in Jasper where my spiritual director is pastor, they have Confession on Wednesday mornings for 30 minutes, Thursday evenings for 1 hour, and Saturday mornings for 1 hour. At another parish closer to the formerly mentioned one they have Confession every morning for about 30 minutes except for on Sundays I think. So while Confession is available in my area, you generally have to go to another town to get to Confession. I don’t blame our pastor though because he pastors 3 different parishes and is an incredibly busy priest. In fact, we often have retired priests have Mass for us on Sundays before our pastor is simply too busy to have Mass for us every Sunday.

I think that perhaps another problem with the lack of Confession is the lack of priests. We desperately need to have an increase in vocations to the priesthood and while I think vocations have been increasing in the past few years, we need to have vocations increase even more. If there are more priests then more will be available to hear Confessions.

 

[thistle]

We have Confession 6 days a week, that is Mon - Sat.
No chance for Confession before Sunday Mass as we have 10 Masses every Sunday and each Mass starts 15 minutes after the previous one ends.

 

[signit]

Confession is dwindling because many Catholics only have religious education to the 5th grade level. Also I think when they started having penitential services people assumed confession wasn’t needed.

Or, when they included the penitential rite in the Mass.

I ws told, by adult leaders, “We don’t have to go to confession any more! Because they put the penitential rite in the Mass!”

 

[NSFrame]

Thank you- I’ll try your suggestions. I don’t live near either of those parishes so as long as they have confession after work or weekends I will try. I feel less comfortable walking into a rectory without an appointment since I’m sure with my luck the priest will be unavailable. I just remember going monthly as a kid and now I don’t see much interest - even during Lent I’ve only heard of one reconciliation event during the whole 40 days.

I also suggested St John Cantius.

 

[ProVobis]

Or, when they included the penitential rite in the Mass.

I ws told, by adult leaders, “We don’t have to go to confession any more! Because they put the penitential rite in the Mass!”

The penitential rite does not replace the sacrament.

 

[whatsmyname]

As a not-yet-Catholic, I’m rather puzzled by confession. My church, which has several thousand people attending Sunday mass, has confession scheduled for one hour each Saturday afternoon.

As I’ve been studying Catholicism and the requirement to confess once per year with the recommendation to do it monthly or more often, I can’t quite figure out how all those people fit into that one weekly hour. Maybe the scheduling will make more sense to me once I’m allowed the sacrament.

 

[Petaro]

When have you last heard a priest mention the sacrament during a homily?

 

[Joannm]

This month I felt drawn to confession, and made three efforts to find one in the great big (catholic) city that is Chicago.
I first went to my main parish on a Saturday during the bulletins confession hours before the Saturday mass, only to find the church doors locked and no cars in the parking lot. Strangely I waited and when church goers entered, I did not find a confessional in use.

Dismayed I went the next week to a parish that advertises confession daily from 7am-6pm. Arriving after work at 5:15 the confessional was closed. I’m not sure if it closed early or the priest was called away, but I could not make it to Church any earlier due to taking the bus from work.

Then yesterday I attended benediction at yet another parish, now more determined than ever to get a confession in, since I do not believe in coincidences and feel that someone or something is trying to keep me from the sacrament. Confession was to take place for an hour after benediction and I put myself first in line. When the priest opened the confessional doors, low and behold a person went in and after 30 minutes did not emerge. I waited and while doing so, 8-9 additional people came and inserted themselves in the line without acknowledgement to those of us who waited after benediction and I did not get to go within the allotted time.

My question to other catholics is - do you see a trend of confession going away at your parishes? It seems like it is being downgraded to half hour intervals a week at many parishes and canceled all the time?

I’m planning to go today just because I am overly motivated by being denied it three times!

Thanks and God bless!

Why didn’t you inform the people that the line was behind you? I don’t understand why you let them cut ahead of you.

 

[paperwight66]

.

As I’ve been studying Catholicism and the requirement to confess once per year with the recommendation to do it monthly or more often, I can’t quite figure out how all those people fit into that one weekly hour. Maybe the scheduling will make more sense to me once I’m allowed the sacrament.

The obligation to confess once a year (at a minimum) only refers to mortal sin. although confession of venial sins is highly recommended.

There is, however, no obligation to formally confess venial sins, so if somebody is convinced they haven’t committed any mortal sins, this would explain why not so many people are going in the box.

 

[thistle]

As a not-yet-Catholic, I’m rather puzzled by confession. My church, which has several thousand people attending Sunday mass, has confession scheduled for one hour each Saturday afternoon.

As I’ve been studying Catholicism and the requirement to confess once per year with the recommendation to do it monthly or more often, I can’t quite figure out how all those people fit into that one weekly hour. Maybe the scheduling will make more sense to me once I’m allowed the sacrament.

There is not a requirement to confess once a year. There is a requirement to receive Communion once a year but if you are in a state of mortal sin you must confess first. If you go for 12 months without committing a mortal sin you are not required to go to Confession.

 

[WingsOfEagles]

There is not a requirement to confess once a year. There is a requirement to receive Communion once a year but if you are in a state of mortal sin you must confess first. If you go for 12 months without committing a mortal sin you are not required to go to Confession.

How likely is it that a good 90% of the parish doesn’t commit at least one mortal sin a year?

 

[Generic_Name]

This month I felt drawn to confession, and made three efforts to find one in the great big (catholic) city that is Chicago.
I first went to my main parish on a Saturday during the bulletins confession hours before the Saturday mass, only to find the church doors locked and no cars in the parking lot. Strangely I waited and when church goers entered, I did not find a confessional in use.

Dismayed I went the next week to a parish that advertises confession daily from 7am-6pm. Arriving after work at 5:15 the confessional was closed. I’m not sure if it closed early or the priest was called away, but I could not make it to Church any earlier due to taking the bus from work.

Then yesterday I attended benediction at yet another parish, now more determined than ever to get a confession in, since I do not believe in coincidences and feel that someone or something is trying to keep me from the sacrament. Confession was to take place for an hour after benediction and I put myself first in line. When the priest opened the confessional doors, low and behold a person went in and after 30 minutes did not emerge. I waited and while doing so, 8-9 additional people came and inserted themselves in the line without acknowledgement to those of us who waited after benediction and I did not get to go within the allotted time.

My question to other catholics is - do you see a trend of confession going away at your parishes? It seems like it is being downgraded to half hour intervals a week at many parishes and canceled all the time?

I’m planning to go today just because I am overly motivated by being denied it three times!

Thanks and God bless!

I used to live in the Chicago area, and my sweetheart still does. I echo what others have said about St. John Cantius - we went there recently to experience the Extraordinary Form, and went to confession during the OF Mass, which was in Latin. There were 4 confession lines, and while there were quite a few folks in them, they didn’t seem to move that slowly. Perhaps that was because there was such a beautiful liturgy happening while waiting in line. If only all parishes had what they had… Confession there was the most meaningful, helpful, and liberating experience I’ve had - and I travel frequently for work, so I’ve been to mass and confession all over the US. I wish I could go to confession there all the time, but that would require leaving the great state of Texas!

I suspect that the 7-6 parish you mention is St. Peter’s in the Loop. I’ve been several times there and a priest was airways available.

Someone mentioned just walking in to the rectory - I’ve never done that, but once in Memphis, just before my initiation into the Church but after my first confession, I remembered something I hadn’t confessed, and was afraid I would be unable to confess before Easter Vigil due to my travels. There was a Catholic Church across from my hotel, so I called. Nobody answered, so I left a message asking for a private confession and explaining my situation. The secretary called me back and said that Father would be happy to hear my confession before evening Mass. I was so thankful. I would imagine most priests worth their salt would be happy to help someone in need of the sacrament.