photosynthesis Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Time Magazine recently published an [url="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1666268,00.html"]article [/url]about the declining number of Catholics who to go confession regularly. The author of this article clearly has a very shallow and simplistic perspective on the Catholic Church, but it is unfortunate that so many Catholics neglect such a wonderful sacrament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romans1513 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 [quote]Others, like Gregory Baum, emeritus professor of theology at McGill University in Montreal, call it a belated Hail Mary pass.[/quote] Isn't a Hail Mary pass to save the game at the very end? Does he know something we don't? Is the world going to end pretty soon? Anyway, thats cool, my (home, as in home home not school home) diocese is one of those that said they are planning to promote it next lent. I have noticed that my home church had been seeming to promote it more, offering confession more often during lent and now offering it before Mass every week. I think Weurl hit on a key point with his campaign- make confession available more often than just Saturday afternoons or other obscure times. [quote]but for Gargiulo it now seems as anachronistic as prayer veils and meatless Fridays.[/quote] ...interesting... [quote]"It lost its efficacy for me"[/quote] sad... she obviously has never been taught much about confession, or at least has forgotten whatever she learned... what we need is some good homilies on the sacrament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photosynthesis Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 I can't believe most parishes only have confession on Saturday Afternoons. Luckily, there are a few parishes in my archdiocese that have confession every day. In most places, this is what you have to deal with to get to confession: Parish Office Lady: Good morning, St. Joseph's Church. Penitent: Hi, I was just wondering if I could make an appointment for confession. Parish Office Lady: Our Priests hear confessions on Saturdays from 3:30 - 3:45 PM. Penitent: Yeah, but the bulletin says you can make appointments. Parish Office Lady: Sorry, we don't really do appointments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtins Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 a priest is required to hear a confession at the request of the penitent at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenna311 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 [quote name='photosynthesis' post='1395988' date='Oct 1 2007, 12:53 PM']I can't believe most parishes only have confession on Saturday Afternoons. Luckily, there are a few parishes in my archdiocese that have confession every day. In most places, this is what you have to deal with to get to confession: Parish Office Lady: Good morning, St. Joseph's Church. Penitent: Hi, I was just wondering if I could make an appointment for confession. Parish Office Lady: Our Priests hear confessions on Saturdays from 3:30 - 3:45 PM. Penitent: Yeah, but the bulletin says you can make appointments. Parish Office Lady: Sorry, we don't really do appointments.[/quote] That's really unfortunate. With such a shortage of posted times, which may be hard for some people to make, you'd think priests would be happy to hear someone's confession at another time. Actually, my friend, who is now a priest, told me it was our right to have our confession heard if we ask a priest for it. (Of course, if the priest has somewhere to be right then, obviously it might be harder, but they should make time at some point for you.) That statistic of 2% going regularly seems really low. (I wonder what their definition of "regular" is...) Even down here in Florida, without a huge Catholic population, it seems like a lot of people, both at my home parish, and my parish while I am at school, go pretty regularly (at least monthly.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adt6247 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 [quote name='photosynthesis' post='1395988' date='Oct 1 2007, 12:53 PM']I can't believe most parishes only have confession on Saturday Afternoons. Luckily, there are a few parishes in my archdiocese that have confession every day. In most places, this is what you have to deal with to get to confession: Parish Office Lady: Good morning, St. Joseph's Church. Penitent: Hi, I was just wondering if I could make an appointment for confession. Parish Office Lady: Our Priests hear confessions on Saturdays from 3:30 - 3:45 PM. Penitent: Yeah, but the bulletin says you can make appointments. Parish Office Lady: Sorry, we don't really do appointments.[/quote] Maybe you should quote them canon law: Can. 986 §1 All to whom by virtue of office the care of souls is committed, are bound to provide for the hearing of the confessions of the faithful entrusted to them, who reasonably request confession, and they are to provide these faithful with an opportunity to make individual confession on days and at times arranged to suit them. §2 In an urgent necessity, every confessor is bound to hear the confessions of Christ's faithful, and in danger of death every priest is so obliged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendofJPII Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I think parishes should offer confessions Sunday morning because if you happen to sin, you are more likely to do it Sat night cuz more ppl are social on the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zabbazooey Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I think the reasoning behind that (at least it's my impression) is that they have confession on Saturday, because Sunday is a day for focusing on and worshiping God, not on ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenna311 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 [quote name='zabbazooey' post='1396005' date='Oct 1 2007, 02:00 PM']I think the reasoning behind that (at least it's my impression) is that they have confession on Saturday, because Sunday is a day for focusing on and worshiping God, not on ourselves.[/quote] My parish offers confessions 30 minutes prior to weekends Masses (and Wednesday night Mass). Yes, Sundays are a day for focusing on and worshiping God, but I think that is all the more reason to have an opportunity for Confession. The sacrament improves our relationship with God that we destroy through our sin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photosynthesis Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 It is ideal for parishes to offer confession before every Mass, especially Sunday Mass because that way peoples' souls are better disposed to receive Holy Communion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 [quote name='fiat voluntas tua' post='1395997' date='Oct 1 2007, 05:14 PM']That statistic of 2% going regularly seems really low. (I wonder what their definition of "regular" is...) Even down here in Florida, without a huge Catholic population, it seems like a lot of people, both at my home parish, and my parish while I am at school, go pretty regularly (at least monthly.)[/quote] Funny, when I lived in JAX the line for confession was always really long, unless you got there really early. There were times that I was standing in line waiting while the Mass had started! At my home parish here I never see other people going. They do have it every day at the Cathedral, though they actually have it [i]after [/i]the daily Mass, not before. Kinda threw me off at first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XIX Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 a) Go to Daily Mass. Skip Communion if necessary, but if you can receive, then praise God! b) At the end of Mass, ask the priest if he has time for confession. Normally he'll give you at least a few minutes. Priests are usually far more accommodating that receptionists. Worst case scenario, he might be annoyed that he is being disrupted by you, but I have only been flat-out turned down for confession once. They usually offer to at least catch me at a later time if they are ridiculously busy--which, let's be fair, most priests are. This isn't absolutely ideal in terms of having a long, in depth confession, but I'll do that if I do something dumb and need to get to confession quickly. It's better to plan something a few days in advance and examine your conscience in great detail, IMO. But if you just can't find a priest at all, catching one at the end of a Mass isn't a horrible idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionarybelle Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Our parish offers it 30 min before every weekday Mass and on Wednesdays and Fridays there are so many people they actually have it 45 min before the Mass and they have both priests hearing confessions however because of my class schedule this semester, it's really hard for me to get to confession so I have to make special apps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domine ut Videam Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 as a reminder to myself that it truly is easy to get to confession if i just make the effort, i saw this in the caf the other day. A student asked Fr.Meinrad if he could hear his confession sometime and fr. said sure how bout now, and they went over and sat on the side and celebrated it! Just shows that i need to make more of an effort, because the priests are willing. -Lauren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercy me Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 I must admit that I used to go much more regularly than I do now because they stopped offering confession before mass. There usedto be at least a dozen people in that line before mass but then we lost another priest. Now it is on Saturday afternoons. I will say that in my life the vast majority of my confessions have not been in confessionals. I have been blessed to have priest who when asked if they can hear my confession they have always said sure. And off we would go for a short walk away from others while they heard my confession. I miss having enough priests around. Now I feel guilty inposing on them. Priests are some of the busiest people that I have ever met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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