Expert: J.M.J. West - 2/28/2009

Question
My parish is offering a communal reconciliation service which appears to be a substitute for individual confession. Is this allowed?

Answer
Most communal reconciliation services are done for the sake of expediency, and involve individual confessions.  Often the group will meet, pray, then break off into small groups and make an individual confession to one of the available priests (often multiple priests are present at a communal penance service).

There is a rite which permits a group absolution without individual confession, but it is extra-ordinary, and often used in situations where there is not time to hear individual confessions and death is a real possibility (chaplains in battles will do this often).

If the former, then the event is fine.  If the latter, then the event is suspect at the least.  One ought not to go to a penance service like the latter unless there is no other option (which is seldom the case).

Hope that helps.  Sorry for the delay, but we just had our third child last week.

Pax Christi,

-J.M.J. West