I have lived in two cities during my life, Boston and New York. In each there was always a place I could go, no matter what the day, where I could go to confession. No appointments. Show up, confess. I always thought that this is one of the greatest services a diocese could offer. Always available, fully anonymous confession.
I know very well that the shortage of priests restricts what individual parishes can do in this regard. I am not asking for miracles. But each diocese, I think, should have one place where confession is always available.
Saturday 4:00-4:45PM and by appointment just isn’t enough. The whole by appointment thing never cut it with me anyway. I suspect that many people in need of confession, even in the throws of remorse, might very well hesitate to go to confession if an appointment is needed and by Saturday afternoon the moment may have passed. I know this has happened to me.
Many times in the past I have availed myself of the grace of an easily available confession. Years ago I lived in Queens, New York and commuted to my job in Jersey City, New Jersey. Each day I would take the M train to Fulton Street and walk on over to the World Trade Center from whence I would take the PATH train to work. A few blocks North of the Trade Center was a Church that catered to the commuter. I don’t recall the name of it right now but it was always there. I had been to Mass there a few times on Holy Days and the occasional weekday mass. While there I noticed that there was always a priest in the confessional. Always.
A funny thing about riding the subway every day is that even while sandwiched between Hasidim and construction workers, stockbrokers and pawn brokers, amidst the noise and the jostling, you have the perfect time to search your soul. If I didn’t like what I found, I would just wait for my stop, turn right, and walk a few blocks. I knew he would be there, waiting for me. Always.
The knowledge that every day a priest sat in that confessional was always with me. Whenever I felt convicted of my sin, I need only catch an earlier train, walk a few blocks, and I would always find a priest waiting for me. I would always find Jesus waiting for me and not by appointment.
This post is not meant as a criticism, rather it is more an expression of longing. I wanted to go to confession before Christmas, but somehow last week I didn’t get around to it. I wanted to go today, but I had work and so I would need to call for an appointment. I didn’t go. I wished that today there was one place in my diocese where I knew I could turn. Some Church, even if I had to drive out of my way, that I knew if I made it there there would be a priest waiting for me. No appointments. Just there, waiting. I thought about my Church by the Trade Center. I wonder if they still have confessions there or the frequent masses? Maybe with the Trade Center gone, they have given it up. I hope not. I thought about going back there, but I am afraid of what I might find. I like thinking that a priest is still sitting in that confessional, waiting. I don’t think I could handle it if I made my way downtown only to find the doors locked.
At Christmas time we can walk into any store or any mall and find what we want. If it isn’t there, why there is a place just down the road that will probably have it. That is the nature of our consumerized world. You want it, you got it.
This Christmas I wanted what I really need, but unfortunately the establishment was closed with a sign that said, “By Appointment Only.”
December 23, 2008 at 4:53 am
I could not agree more! Here in my diocese in CO with a very orthodox bishop, we still are lucky to have confessions only in the morning after(!) Mass and sometimes the priest isn’t able to make it. Doesn’t it make sense for confession to be available before Mass anyway?
I digress, sorry . . . Yes, confession to be available much more often than it is. I couldn’t agree more!
December 23, 2008 at 5:01 am
Patrick, I hear you. And it’s bad enough to make an appointment for one; when you really need to bring the whole family, things go from “faintly absurd” to “impossible” pretty quickly…
We used to go once a month. Then we changed parishes. Our new parish is a mission with no regular Confession time (yet), so we figured we’d go to Confession at the “main” parish–until we found out there is a thirty minute time slot for Confessions right before the Sat. evening Mass.
How does a family of five (all of whom can go to Confession) do that? We’d probably take up at least half of that “30” (25, since Father would have to leave to get ready for Mass at some point) minute time slot for just our family.
So this weekend we went to our old parish which has an hour scheduled for Confessions. It was crowded, there was a visiting priest I’ve never seen before–but at least we were able to go.
And I shouldn’t complain–our new pastor wants to add a time at our mission church, probably on Fridays when he’s able to do Adoration. Which will be great.
But I know a priest two hours away from hear who is in the confessional every.single.day. He makes it a priority, plain and simple. Because it’s not the consumerized world that makes us want Confession–it’s the working of the Holy Spirit, Who is mysterious and Who isn’t always going to wait until Saturday at 4:00 p.m. to whisper His words of grace into our souls.
December 23, 2008 at 5:01 am
Ooops. Two hours away from *here*…
December 23, 2008 at 9:38 am
What strikes me is that at Novus Ordo parishes you have the Saturday confessional or by appointment. However, with the oider rite parishes, at least here where I live, you can go to confession before Mass or after. In my view, you can’t beat that!
December 23, 2008 at 11:05 am
I have a fairly flexible work schedule being in sales – in fact, some may accuse me of not actually “working” or having any schedule at all! But one thing I have found to be a blessing is that should I need to go to confession anytime during the week, I can arrange my day to stop either at St Bonaventure’s in downtown Detroit (the former church of Fr Solanus Casey) where they offer confession every hour on the hour, except at 1:00 PM, or at a suburban parish where confession is heard before each of 3 weekday Masses.
And thanks for the reminder that I need to get to confession before Thursday!
December 23, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Most TLM parishes do offer Confession for a half an hour before Mass begins. The only bad thing is that traddies are much more scrupulous than the average Catholic and there is always a long line.
One per diocese doesn’t cut it, after all, the diocese of Portland, Maine covers the entire state – it takes 8 hours to drive the length of the diocese!
December 23, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Oh Patrick! What a bummer not not be able to go to confession. We live in the suburbs of Chicago and are fortunate to have many options to go to confession. It helps that a parish near our house has Opus Dei priests hear confessions about 6 hours a week, in addition to the other 6 hours the parish regularly has available. One clever (and obvious) thing this parish does, is to have retired priests hear confessions, so the active priests aren’t stretched so thin.
Occasionally, we use to attend a last chance Mass (8 pm on Sunday’s) where the priest would hear confessions immediately following Mass. As the final song was being song Father would begin disrobing and shouting over the song, say things like “I’ll be hearing confessions now until they are all heard! Please get in an orderly line and prepare yourselves. Make your confession brief and to the point beginning with any mortal sins first. All of you will have the same penance – 1 Hail Mary to be said before you leave this building tonight.” 😉 He wasn’t the most gentle priest, but he got the job done.
December 23, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Our priests worked very hard this Advent to be available for confessions – both were in the confessional for several hours in the morning and evening this week. People lined up 35 deep Thursday night, glad for the chance to receive this healing sacrament. It was wonderful.
December 23, 2008 at 2:30 pm
This is something that I’ve too noticed when traveling to the States. That is one of the joys of living in Spain, where you can almost always find a priest to hear your confession whenever you need to.
December 23, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I can’t agree more – the longing for this sacrament is so big and the availability so scarce…
Two things absolutely NEED to happen in the church: more confessions and more straight talk on Humanae Vitae!
I have envisioned my soul as worse than the poor stable in Bethlehem, certainly dirtier and smellier, and while I was able to have confession last week, that stable of my soul is never totally as “impeccable” as the poor stable in Bethlehem. And yet, I hope for GOD’s Mercy that my Savior will still come.
Blessings and a GOD’s Love and Mercy into your hearts and homes,
Mum26
December 23, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I’m terrible about getting to confession, but I always try to avail myself of it when it’s available – the problem is that half an hour a week is not really available! I like to think I’d go much more often if it was available frequently (and without appointment). So far, however, I have been unable to test this theory.
December 23, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Agreed. Normally we have confessions 1 evening a week (till they’re done), but for the past 2 weeks we’ve had two priests in the confessional after morning Mass every day. The first time I went there were about 30 people, and this morning, nearer to 60. What a blessing!
December 23, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Sensitive subject for me… bad timing, icy roads, and sick kids prevented me from getting to confession every time I planned to go over the last two months. 🙁 Now there is not an available time before Christmas. Our pastor is leaving soon and no word on his replacement. I’d have to drive over an hour to the next parish.
December 23, 2008 at 4:38 pm
The Passionist monastery next to Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, Queens has confession all day without an appointment. It’s not far off of the Grand Central Parkway. I love being able to pop over at any time and tell the doorkeeper that I need a priest for confession. He calls upstairs and, voila, a priest is in the box within minutes! I know that you don’t leave in the vicinity, but it’s easier than getting into Manhattan.
December 23, 2008 at 4:41 pm
One of the things I love about our parish is that we have confessions every day and twice on Saturdays. There is always a mix of people from our parish and folks from neighboring parishes where they only have it for 45 minutes on Saturday. Thing is that when you offer people many times to go to confession, when the priests make it a priority, there are always plenty of people who want to receive the sacrament.
December 23, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I’ve written about this at length on my blog and elsewhere.
Saturday afternoon confession is a real pain. It’s just awful. Strangely, most priests say that it’s not good for them either. Why is this the standard in every parish in America? No one knows.
A voice cries out in the confessional.
December 23, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Try this on for size – we have a parish full of college students (about 4000-5000 come to Mass on weekends – the largest number in the country).
So, we have always had at least two days with scheduled confession. Then it went to three. Now we schedule confession 9 times during the week for over 12 hours a week. There is usually a long line full of college students.
Here is the schedule:
Monday: 4:30-5:00 PM. and 10:00am-4:00pm – Fr. Charlie is here all day to hear confessions and offer spiritual direction.
Tuesday: 4:30-5:00 PM and 2:00-4:00 on-campus.
Wednesday: 4:30-5:00 PM, and 8:30-9:30 PM
Thursday: 4:30-5:00 PM
Friday: 4:30-5:00 PM
Saturday: 4:00-5:15 PM
Our priests are in the confessional a lot – which is a big part of why we have such a good ministry here.
Oh, you can still make an appointment if you want to.
December 23, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Whew! The Aggies have it made when to comes to available confessions. I go to Michigan State and the availability of confession (after the weekday Masses TWRF and Sat evening) at the student parsh and at the nearby local parish (twice on Sat) played a big role in my becoming more comfortable with the sacrament and utilizing it more often. It’s a wonderful blessing to have priests who are willing to hear confessions, even after a 9:15 PM evening Mass!
Of course, I’ve never understood the placement of reconciliation after Mass, but my guess is that it involves a limited number priests and permits confession to extend as long as it needs to.
When I’m at home, things are a bit different-especially because I don’t drive.
December 24, 2008 at 2:17 am
As a year-and-a-half-old, formerly Baptist convert, I can tell you it takes some guts to ask for confession by appointment. More than anything you feel like you’re inconveniencing the Priest. Even though we have five parishes within twenty minutes (!), I inconveniently work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, the only time regular confession is offered. I can’t remember the last time I used a regular confession time.
My wish come true would be a confession slot every morning from six to eight. Of course confession before Sunday Mass would be ideal.
Will it always be this hard to ask for confession by appointment?
December 24, 2008 at 3:12 am
Fortunately during my time in Philadelphia, there were the Jesuits at Saint Joseph’s university who had 24/7 confession… the wonders that did to assist me in my spiritual life were immense. Now however I am in a very rural diocese and there are only two parishes in the entire diocese that advertise as having daily confession (let alone 24/7); I always felt a little awkward trying to schedule appointments in, I pray more priests might be open to that ministry as its been a tremendous help to me