Confession
Four times a week, and at any other time you ask. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, and everything you might want to know before coming to it.
If it has been years — this page is written for you rather than for people who come every month.
- Wednesday 18:00–18:45 The confessional, by the Lady Chapel · During Adoration
- Friday 10:15–11:00 The confessional · After the morning Mass
- Saturday 10:30–11:30 The confessional
- Saturday 17:00–17:45 The confessional · Before the Vigil Mass
Or at any other time by arrangement — ring the presbytery and ask. Nobody is ever turned away, and asking is not an imposition.
Then this paragraph is for you, and you are more welcome than almost anyone else who will come through the door this week.
You do not need to remember the words. Say "Bless me, Father, it has been a long time" — or simply "I don't know how to do this" — and the priest will take you through it. That is a normal way for a confession to begin and he will have heard it already this month.
You do not need to list everything perfectly. Say what you have come to say. Nobody is keeping score and nothing you say will be repeated, to anyone, ever, under any circumstances.
You can be anonymous. There is a screen. Use it or don't — both are normal, and no one is watching which side of the confessional you go into.
What happens, step by step
For anyone who cannot picture it.
- You go in. There are two doors: one to a kneeler behind a screen, one to a chair facing the priest. Either is fine and neither is the "proper" one.
- You begin. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been —" and however long it has been. If you have lost count, say so.
- You say what you came to say. Not a complete inventory of your life. The things that are actually weighing on you.
- The priest says something. Usually short, usually kind, occasionally practical.
- He gives you a penance. Almost always a few prayers.
- You make an act of contrition. There is a card in the confessional with the words on it. Or say sorry in your own words — that counts.
- He absolves you, and you go. That is the whole thing, and it usually takes about four minutes.
The seal
Nothing you say in confession may ever be repeated by the priest, to anybody, for any reason, in any circumstance. There is no exception to this — not for a court, not for the police, not for your family, not to you afterwards outside the confessional.
It is the strongest confidentiality that exists anywhere, and it is not a matter of the priest's discretion. That is worth knowing before you decide what to say.
Still not sure
What if I cannot remember how long it has been?
Say "a long time". It is the most common answer there is.
What if I do not know whether something is a sin?
Say it and ask. That is a large part of what the priest is there for, and it is a better use of the four minutes than guessing.
Will he know who I am?
Possibly, in a parish this size. It makes no difference to anything — see the seal above — and he will not raise it with you afterwards.
Can I come outside the listed times?
Yes. Ring the presbytery. You will not be putting anybody out.