Tag Archives: confession

ASK FATHER: Forgetting sins during confession

From a reader… QUAERITUR: Dear Father, is it okay if I didn’t said the sin I was about to confess because my mind blocked? I didn’t finished it with the lines “for these and all my sins…” because I got … Read More

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ASK FATHER: Confession time frustration

From a reader… QUAERITUR: Hoping you can help me approach this situation correctly in future. Confession at parish is daily from 11:30 to 12 and mass starts at 12:10. Many times I arrive early and there is already a line so I … Read More

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25 March – Feast of the Thief who “stole heaven”: St. Dismas

Today is Lady Day, the Feast of the Annunciation, the instant of the Incarnation… and we would be celebrating it if it were not for the vagaries of the Moon.  Palm Sunday and Holy Week have pushed our observance to another … Read More

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Levity, Severity, the Confessional and YOU!

At First Things there is a good piece about toughness when it comes to preaching and discipline and gentleness in mercy, especially with penitents in the confessional. It is hard for priests to find that balance out en plein air … Read More

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Making the Church appealing. What “sells”?

When it is time to draw people in, do those in charge show ugly modern churches bereft of statues, windows and obviously Catholic elements?   SURE they do! When it is time to make a movie and portray something about … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, GO TO CONFESSION, Hard-Identity Catholicism, Lighter fare, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , ,
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Singing and confession – Just Too Cool!

When I was very young, I used to curl up with the dictionary.  One word would lead to another and to another.  I wound up building my vocabulary as if by capillarity. I sometimes do this with tweets, specially with … Read More

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ASK FATHER: Would anything prevent a priest from always using the traditional formula of absolution?

From a reader… QUAERITUR: The reformed Rite of Penance added a whole bunch of stuff to the rite of confession—optional Scripture readings and so on—but I have never seen any of it used, even non-optional parts like how the priest … Read More

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ASK FATHER: If I remember a sin after confessing, should I interrupt the priest and tell him?

From a reader… QUAERITUR: If in Confession I forget a mortal sin (I do examine my conscience but my memory is bad), but then remember AFTER having told the priest that I have finished confessing, and he is talking, should … Read More

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ASK FATHER: If I confess to watching porn, must I say it was homosexual porn?

From a reader… QUAERITUR: Father, recently the catechist at our parish said that, when making our confessions, we ought to mention anything that might aggravate or mitigate the gravity of our sins, so that the confessor can get a clearer … Read More

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ASK FATHER: Should I tell a noisy penitent that we can hear everything said in the confessional?

From a reader… QUAERITUR: There is a young lady who regularly takes a very long time in Confession (25-30 minutes, sometimes longer). She is not making a long confession, and it’s not the priest spending long amounts of time giving … Read More

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