A news story caught my eye the other day. It concerned a posting on “X” (formerly Twitter) that had received more than 200,000 views, many leaving comments. What was remarkable is that the posting had nothing to do with politics, sports, or entertainment. It was a matter of significance only to Catholics—and to a small percentage of Catholics at that: “Please stop taking over 30 minutes in the confessional booth. This isn’t a place for you to rant about your life; this is a confessions booth. And you should have practiced and meditated on your confession so it’s quick and efficient. If you need, book a spiritual consultation.”

Prior to the late 1960’s a weekly or monthly confession was common for many Catholics. In most parishes, confessions were heard for several hours on Saturday afternoon and often during Mass (a priest would stay in the confessional on Sunday until it was time to help with communion). There were often lines. When we were learning about confession in the second grade, Sr. Celestine told us that if an older person got in line behind us, we should let them go ahead of us, since they were more likely to die before confessing their sins than we were. Following the church reforms in the 1960’s regular confession became less of a routine.  Catholics were no longer as fearful of the judgement of God and confessions were not to be heard during Mass. But because of our downtown location convenient for many workers and for people who did not feel comfortable confessing to their parish priests, confessions held a prominent place in the ministry at Assumption into the 1990’s. A sign on the front of the church listed Mass times and under it the message, “Confessions heard from 6:00am to 6:00pm daily.” There was a buzzer by one of the confessionals in the back of church, which summoned the priest “on call” to come hear your confession. There was also a special confessional for priests with its own buzzer at the entrance to the rectory and another confessional in the sacristy. As times changed and the neighborhood changed, the hours for confessions were reduced and then eliminated entirely. They were still available “upon request” (but the buzzer was disconnected). One of the confessionals was removed to create the church bathroom in the 1990’s; and when I became pastor, we converted the other confessional and a storage space behind it into the Reconciliation Room, where it is possible to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation either behind the screen or face to face (a practice that had been restored in the 1960’s). I also established one set time for confessions, 30 minutes before the noon Mass on Fridays. I am almost always kept busy, sometimes having to delay a few people until after the Mass. We also have several Reconciliation Services during the year, with the one in Lent always well attended.

Having said all that, I think the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an underutilized Sacrament in the Church today. Just as in day to day life, it is one thing to believe that we have been forgiven; another to hear the other person forgive us. So, it is one thing to believe that God has forgiven us, another to hear the words of forgiveness through the church’s minister, especially when the person we hurt may be unwilling or unable to forgive us. But the Sacrament is also a great tool for personal growth. Sometimes just naming the things we have done wrong helps us face our need for change. The grace of the sacrament helps us live differently in the future. Just as our sins are probably not secrets to the people close to us, so they should be able to see some change in us as a result of going to confession.

To get back to the complaint posted on X: yes, the Sacrament of Reconciliation can also be a place to discuss troubling issues in our life (When I talk about the Sacrament of Reconciliation to our OCIA group, I tell them that there are places you can go for better advice, but there is no place you can go for cheaper advice). Yet when the situation is complex, it is better to make an appointment outside of confession times. Once when I was giving a mission appeal for the Servites in a parish in Indiana (and the pastor was away), I went out to hear confessions for thirty minutes before the Saturday evening Mass. A young man came to confession who was obviously a visitor (I know that because we were BOTH looking for the Reconciliation Room). He shared something that had troubled him for years, something that he was finally able to say out loud. We had only a few minutes to talk and I was leaving town at noon the next day, and I could not even give him a referral to continue his healing.  Sometimes going to confession is just the first step toward reconciliation with God or oneself or another person.

Fr Joe