Confession before Mass?

Archer · January 25, 2013, 11:02:05 AM

Every Church I've been to that offer's the TLM always has Confession before Mass. When there's only one Priest he hears Confessions up to the drop dead moment before he needs to start Mass. When there's more than one Priest it always runs through Mass, usually with people lining up until Communion. In the 20 or so years I attended the NO I never saw Confession before Mass.

Ok, I take that back. Unless you count the 30 minutes on Saturday's which happens to occur before the Saturday vigil, I never saw Confession before Mass. So when and why did this practice stop?

dymphna17 · January 25, 2013, 12:35:31 PM

I can't speak for all, but when we were having Mass in a hotel room or someone's basement, this was the only time we saw a Priest. I also think that this has begun to counteract the notion that you can receive Holy Communion even in the state of sin. For Sunday Catholics, this is the only time they go since they don't think about it otherwise. The Priest's are trying to make it as convenient as possible so fewer people receive unworthily.

tx2step · January 25, 2013, 08:36:23 PM

Our parish in Jacksonville, FL had Confession before every Mass, every day of the week.
The Latin Mass on Sunday mornings, and every NO Mass too.
Immaculate Conception, Jacksonville FL.
And there was always a line.
Wish it were that way every place. My children hate not being able to confess before Mass.
It was a shock to them to not have it that way here when we moved.

Penelope · January 25, 2013, 09:44:15 PM

It is incredibly convenient. I love having confession available every time I go to Mass, just in case.

Also, many people today are incredibly busy, especially if they have children with extracurriculars, so to go to church for confession on Saturday afternoon or evening and then go back to church for Mass on Sunday morning is going to be difficult to schedule. I'm not saying that it should be this way, but that for the average NO Catholic, it is this way. Confession and it's importance get overlooked in part because it is available so infrequently.

Kaesekopf · January 25, 2013, 11:05:57 PM

As a single guy with nothing to do, Saturday at 4pm is literally the worst possible time to go.

It's smack dab in the middle of anything I want to do, and with varying confession line levels, it's either a quick 15 minute dealie, or it takes up the whole hour. Include the travel time, then examining, then waiting, then confessing, then doing a proper penance, then going home, that's liable to take a full hour in the middle of the day.

How this crap is convenient is beyond me. Stupid early on Saturday would be better, honestly.

Penelope · January 25, 2013, 11:18:23 PM

Quote from: Kaesekopf on January 25, 2013, 11:05:57 PM
As a single guy with nothing to do, Saturday at 4pm is literally the worst possible time to go.

It's smack dab in the middle of anything I want to do, and with varying confession line levels, it's either a quick 15 minute dealie, or it takes up the whole hour. Include the travel time, then examining, then waiting, then confessing, then doing a proper penance, then going home, that's liable to take a full hour in the middle of the day.

How this crap is convenient is beyond me. Stupid early on Saturday would be better, honestly.

Agreed on all counts. So imagine if your one kid had a soccer game, the other kid had ballet, you're trying to prepare dinner, your spouse is trying to repair whatever in the house has most recently broken or fallen apart, and you've got a pile of laundry to fold. And you need to get everyone to Confession in the middle of that? Please.

Kaesekopf · January 26, 2013, 12:08:29 AM

It literally is the worst time to do anything.

It's almost as if they want to prevent people from confessing.

OCLittleFlower · January 26, 2013, 03:54:35 PM

And some people live very far away from where they go to Mass -- sometimes hours away. Doesn't make much sense for them to drive (and pay for gas) on Saturday as well.

Spooky · January 26, 2013, 05:01:25 PM

I'm so lucky we have a (NO) parish here that offers Confession everyday: 7:45-8:15 M-F, and also 7pm to 8pm Tuesdays and Fridays, plus your standard Sat 3-4:30pm. The TLM offers it before Mass too. I literally have no excuse to not go, yet I haven't in weeks and have an urgent need to.

Penelope · January 26, 2013, 07:06:07 PM

Quote from: OCLittleFlower on January 26, 2013, 03:54:35 PM
And some people live very far away from where they go to Mass -- sometimes hours away. Doesn't make much sense for them to drive (and pay for gas) on Saturday as well.

Except perhaps in the more rural areas, this isn't typically true for NOers, but there is still a definite need for NO parishes to offer Confession before all Masses.

OCLittleFlower · January 26, 2013, 07:26:38 PM

Quote from: Penelope on January 26, 2013, 07:06:07 PM
Quote from: OCLittleFlower on January 26, 2013, 03:54:35 PM
And some people live very far away from where they go to Mass -- sometimes hours away. Doesn't make much sense for them to drive (and pay for gas) on Saturday as well.

Except perhaps in the more rural areas, this isn't typically true for NOers, but there is still a definite need for NO parishes to offer Confession before all Masses.

True. I have a habit sometimes of just acting like the Novus Ordo doesn't exist. It's been so long that I've forgotten how they operate -- and I couldn't tell you what the confession schedule is at the NO parish closest to us. We've never even been there for Mass, let alone Confession.

totiusque · January 26, 2013, 08:51:02 PM

I know many of the NO parishes in our area add the caveat ...or by appointment after their available Confession times. I've only done this once and it worked out well. We have two NO churches that offer Confession before all Masses (plus our TLM parish, of course). One NO church offers Thu night Confession before First Friday, and another one offers weekday evening Confessions, but other than that, you are stuck with the Sat afternoon Confession times. I also agree that this is NOT a good time to have the Sacrament readily available, but I guess once a week is better than none.

MilesChristi · January 26, 2013, 11:51:39 PM

There are some parishes that only have confession "by appointment"

OCLittleFlower · January 27, 2013, 04:26:47 AM

Quote from: MilesChristi on January 26, 2013, 11:51:39 PM
There are some parishes that only have confession "by appointment"

How does that work in terms of protecting your identity?

totiusque · January 27, 2013, 05:11:27 AM

Quote from: OCLittleFlower on January 27, 2013, 04:26:47 AM
Quote from: MilesChristi on January 26, 2013, 11:51:39 PM
There are some parishes that only have confession "by appointment"

How does that work in terms of protecting your identity?

I've only done this once, but when I called the priest, he told me he'd meet me in the confessional at a certain time, so I just met him there without exchanging names or anything. Even if he hadn't done that, it was a priest I did not know anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered if he had seen me.