About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
ABORTION PILL RESCUE NETWORK
Everyone, work to get this into your parish bulletins and diocesan papers.
Polls
Loading ...
Donate using VENMO
GREAT BEER from Traditional Benedictine Monks in Italy
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Do you have a faithful Catholic website that needs competent and reliable tech support?
NEW OPPORTUNITY – 10% off with code: FATHERZ10
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
KSC on Daily Rome Shot 571, etc.: “aaahhhh…Santa Pudenziana! [Santa Pudenziana… ahhhh yes! Just down the street from this church which is Santa Prassede.]”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “@j stark “There is a danger though that to live with a desire for nostalgia results in absolutizing a thing…”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “Those trads with the mother staying home have answered the question for their family on how to best raise their…”
on Travel, foreign currency, ATMS and YOU!: “If you have an iPhone, use Apple Pay for all kinds of purchases. Almost everyone uses contactless payment machines now,…”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “Tony O, thank you for mentioning Bishop Torres. I remain horrified that not enough Catholics are horrified, by his “Roman…”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “@TheCavalierHatherly There is a danger though that to live with a desire for nostalgia results in absolutizing a thing that…”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “We have been in the “Trad Movement” as it is now called for over 40 years. We were raised in…”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “@Notsoserious09 It strikes me that people confuse cravenness for meekness and that people don’t have obedience to Christ and the…”
on Persecution by Rome of the Bp. of Fréjus-Toulon: “I recall the German prelates on the tarmac “welcoming” Benedict by refusing to shake his hand—the video is enormously painful…”
This REALLY helps! And it’s great coffee (and tea)
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…
Use the coupon code...
fatherz10
Be a “Zed-Head”!
CHALLENGE COINS!
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc.
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren’t and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR “Zednet” hotspot when I’m mobile. It’s a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
GREAT causes to support
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Tag Archives: confessions
PRIESTS! BISHOPS! ACTION ITEM! Ideas, some novel, some not so novel, for increasing CONFESSIONS
Have I ever urged you … GO CONFESSION! Yes, I believe I have. I have also urged priests and bishops to preach, teach, admonish, in season and out, about the Sacrament of Penance and to hear confessions. Get into the … Read More
Priests and bishops who are probably going to Hell
There is a good piece at Crisis today about the Sacrament of Penance. It touches on many issues, including availability of confession times, some poorly formed confessors who don’t acknowledge certain sins as sins, and the lack of support some … Read More
Too ashamed to go to confession?
I saw an article at CNA which had a great point in it. [Fr. Fortea] also noted the importance of ensuring truly anonymous confessions. In each city, he said, “there ought to be at least one confessional where instead of … Read More
ASK FATHER: Confessions during Mass – followup
Not long ago I answered a question about why priests might not offer opportunities for confession on feast days. HERE As part of that entry we moved into the issue of priests hearing confessions during Mass (not the celebrant, obviously). … Read More
ASK FATHER: Why no confessions on a feast day?
From a reader… QUAERITUR: At the end of today’s mass (Feast of the Assumption), the priest announced no confessions would be heard because “Sundays and solemnities are joyous occasions, so we don’t hear confessions.” I was dismayed. I find reconciliation … Read More
Pope Francis heard confessions in St. Peter’s Square
Pope Francis does things that annoy me, that puzzle me, that surprise me and that please me. Today was one of the later. He could stick to this sort of thing, in my book! Everyone… GO TO CONFESSION! From The Daily … Read More
ASK FATHER: Why no confessions on Good Friday or Holy Saturday?
From a reader… I would like to know why many parishes do not offer the Sacrament of Penance on Holy Saturday? There’s only 1 parish in my area that hears confessions on Holy Saturday and I often wonder is there … Read More
SSPX reacts to Pope Francis concession for the Year of Mercy
For the Year of Mercy Pope Francis has (in an indirect way) granted to the priests of the SSPX the faculty validly to absolve penitents in routine sacramental confession. HERE Under normal circumstances, the priests of the SSPX do … Read More
21 Comments
NYC – Holy Innocents’ Feast Day! Great News!
How I would like to have been in Manhattan on Sunday at Holy Innocents parish for their Patronal Feast! Holy Innocents, once considered for the guillotine, was given a reprieve by His Eminence Timothy Card. Dolan. Many people expressed their dismay that such … Read More
Pope: Curial officials should hear confessions
From CNA: Pope urges Curial officials to hear confessions at local parish Vatican City, Dec 18, 2013 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has strongly encouraged the bishops and cardinals of the Roman Curia to spend time hearing confessions … Read More
18 Comments
Different confessional practices/customs around the world
Under another entry concerning “confessional etiquette” a commentator raised the good point that people from different language/ethnic backgrounds have different formulae for beginning and ending their sacramental confessions. Most Americans of a certain age learned to begin “Bless me Father, … Read More
VERY COOL PRIEST with a SUPER COOL IDEA for HARD IDENTITY Catholicism
Yes, this one got me a little excited. In the past I have posted about a very cool priest, Fr. Richard Heilman, pastor of glorious Pine Bluff, WI. You may recall that he founded a group called the Knights of … Read More
64 Comments
Pope Francis heard confessions in a parish before Mass
On several occasions Pope Francis has spoken about the importance of the Sacrament of Penance. Remember: Our Lord Himself established the Sacrament of Penance. This is the ordinary means by which JESUS desires you to ask for forgiveness of sins. During … Read More
Again about validity of absolutions by SSPX priests
A priest reader sent me a link to an article on the site of The Remnant, which is I believe a bi-monthly newspaper staunchly on the traditional side of our Catholic spectrum. The article in question concerns the validity of … Read More
QUAERITUR: Face-to-face confession. Fr. Z rants.
From a reader: I am trying to figure out what was the rationale to change the rite of confession to allow for face-to-face confessions. I have read the documents of Vatican II, but did not see anything there specifically addressing … Read More
“Certain offices in human society require the officeholder to be loved and feared of men.”
Here is a little Patristiblogger offering for your midday consideration. This morning a priest friend and I were talking about the problems of leadership and being hated, loved, or feared. Classic question: Is it better to be loved or feared? … Read More
QUAERITUR: Confessions during Mass – revisited
From a reader: This past Saturday, I experienced several of the issues you have written about regarding going to confession. Seeing it was getting late in the afternoon, I attempted to go to confession at the parish nearest where I … Read More
A reader about a parish with confessions on Good Friday
From a reader: I had to tell you about what happened at our parish ___ this Good Friday. We had confessions on Good Friday for the first time that I can remember since coming here in the early 1990s. Not … Read More
QUAERITUR: Should I write to the bishop about urging priests to hear confessions?
From a reader: Would it be appropriate to write a bishop asking if diocesan priests under his leadership be encouraged to hear confessions more regularly? Most parishes seem to only have confessions on Saturday afternoons. I know our priests are busy, but … Read More
A reader’s story of an emergency room confession and advice to readers
From a reader: Yesterday (Friday) and I was rushed to the E.R. with a possible aortic dissection. It turned out that it was just muscle pain. I asked for a Catholic priest, and, to my great fortune, my regular parish … Read More
