942 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070
Mailing Address: PO Box 575
860.658.7627
Mailing Address: PO Box 575
860.658.7627
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March 17, 2022Following the movement of the Church’s penitential practice from a more public ritual to a more private experience during the 6th -8th centuries, the theology of the Sacrament of Reconciliation continued to develop. Penitential books were composed with lists of sins and corresponding penances to be given. The practice of waiting to receive absolution until one had completed the prescribed penance gave way to receiving absolution immediately after confession and completing the penance later. St. Thomas Aquinas in the 12th Century, further defined the understanding of the sacrament by declaring that the works of the penitent (the one confessing sin) and the priest including the confession, contrition and imposition of a penance formed the “matter” of the sacrament while the words of absolution spoken by the priest was the “form” of the sacrament. The practice of confessing sins behind a screen to ensure the anonymity of the penitent came into use. During the Council of Trent (1546-1563) penance was formally and solemnly defined as one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ in response to the Reformers (especially Calvin and Luther) who denied the sacramental nature of individual confession. Following the Council of Trent the practice of sacramental confession remained largely unchanged until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. As it did for the Mass, the Second Vatican Council called for a revision of the celebration of confession. The new Rite of Penance was introduced in 1974. It retained the practice of individual confession between priest and penitent but introduced the option of confessing face to face in addition to the anonymity of the screen. Greater emphasis was given to the understanding of the sacrament as a “reconciliation” of the penitent with God and the Church community as opposed to the more individualistic understanding prior. To promote this understanding of the more communal nature of sin and its remission, the new Rite introduced the practice of communal penance services with individual confession and absolution. A third, albeit much rarer form of communal penance, the Rite of Reconciliation of Several Penitents with General Confession and Absolution, can be used in extreme circumstances when the lack of a sufficient number of priests to hear individual confessions would unduly delay the forgiveness of sins to a large number of penitents. Such use of this third form is only permitted by permission of the local Ordinary (bishop). Individual confession with absolution remains the normative way of sacramental forgiveness whether done inside or apart from a communal penitential service. Along with a change in the format for the sacrament, priests were trained to make the sacramental experience one that is less intimidating and more an experience of God’s loving mercy and kindness. Reconciliation rooms were constructed in most churches to allow for the choice of anonymous or face-to-face celebration and introduced light instead of the “dark boxes” of former times. Sadly though, while the Sacrament has become much less intimidating and more welcoming and merciful, the numbers of Catholics availing themselves of this beautiful sacrament of reconciliation has greatly declined.
