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I truly believe one way of determining the spiritual health of a parish is by the number of people who regularly go to confession. So with that in mind, what's the situation like at your parish ?

Bleak

1/5 of the parishioners went before the Liturgy on the Nativity of the Theotokos.

It's not generally easy for me to gauge this since Father frequently takes confessions by appointment. However I know that he periodically reminds people of the necessity of it and their is a note in the bulletin each week reiterating that recent confession along with fasting and prayer are prerequisites for communing the Holy Mysteries. That said if I had to base a guess on the number who go after Great Vespers on Saturdays I would say the number is not as high one would hope. As a purely educated guess I would say probably around half of the communing members of the parish take confession at least occasionally. Still that is far better than most of the Roman parishes I used to attend (SSPX excepted).

I would say by the number of people who regularly partake of communion.
In my jurisdiction, we are required to go to confession every single time before we receive the eucharist. Therefore, during Great Lent, if a person, in one week wanted to receive the eucharist on Sunday, (presanctified) on Wednesdays and Fridays, and Saturdays, that person would be required to go to confession 4 times in one week. And the priests keep track.
I personally think this is a legalistic approach.
I was surprised to learn that Greek Orthodox Christians and Armenian Orthodox Christians have "general" confessions.
I have no idea why the Ukrainian Orthodox Church became so legalistic. For example, I have heard from Russian Orthodox friends that their rules are once a month or more if desired/needed.
But to get back to your question, in my parish, during Lent (Great and Pre-Nativity) the confession lines can require asa long as a three hour wait. I think most members go a minimum of twice a year. During the rest of the year the lines before Vespers on Saturday and before Matins Sunday morning are short.

I tend to agree with you that frequent confession is a medicine that can surely cure us of much of our sickness... BUT...

This is hard to gauge!

I don't go at my own parish. I have a good confessor outside of the parish and I like to go on Friday so I can focus more on preparing for liturgy instead of preparing for confession. It is at a (latin) downtown parish where a lot of people go on their lunch hour. I always have to stand in line.

I never ask anyone else where they go or if they go. I don't know who meets with Father during the week by appointment. I do know some people arrive early on Sunday to meet with Father in the parish office because they feel uncomfortable standing in front of the church. And before litrugy when Father is hearing them at the church, I try not to pay attention. It is not my business, so I make an effort not to concearn myself.

Short of passing out a survey, I really couldn't tell you how many are going how often or where.



Just curious, why did you throw that in?

I am not trying to be "smart" here, but what of the folks who go to another parish, or perhaps a monastery? Would Father want confirmation or explination? Is it expected you must go to him?

Actually, this did come up once with an aquaintance. He claimed he had confessed to another priest in another parish a day or so before. He was actually asked because the priest knew he was not in the confession line. It is expected that you go to one of our parish priests either Sunday morning or Saturday before or after Vespers.
That is why I think the process is exceedingly legalistic rather than pastoral. This strictness started in the late 1980's and I do not know why. Previously, the rule was confession once a week and you could partake of communion at every opportunity available during that week.

Did your friend's explination "fly"?

In my city, we have a fair amount of Orthodox parishes (at least 12 - not Pittsburgh or Cleveland, to be sure) but it is certainly feasible that Orthodox faithful in this city could have "gone elsewhere".

In some places, I guess this wouldn't be the case.

In our parish there is a steady flow of penitents during the weekly time for confession. At the appointed times during the year there are about 300 penitents and about 400 childrens confessions.
The most extrodinary confession time was the time we did our own parish mission reflection of the seven last words in light of our recent visit to the holy land.
My topic was Father forgive them! Linked with the sight of the Agony in the Garden. I could hardly finish the reflection because I was so moved by Jesus abandonment to the Father's will.

I could hear sobs from the people and 9 priest's listened to people's confession for 4 hours.
It was truly and extrodinary experience of God's grace.

Stephanos i

Glory to God! May God bless your holy priesthood and ministry always!

In Christ our Lord,
Alice

Greetings Alice!
Had the rare opportunity to visit the Greek Orthodox community here. Very well received.
You know if reunion were left to the common people rather than the Theologians, I think it would have already happened by now.
Peace and Blessings.
Stephanos I

There are only about 40-50 people at my parish, so confessions are by appointment, and I suspect a lot people go to the Latins because of convenience - I'm sure this is the case for many other small Byzantine and Ukrainian parishes. Every Easter though our priest makes an effort to have people come during Holy Week.

I absolutely agree, we had two Orthodox Christians visit us and stay for our parish lunch today - some of nicest and kindest and friendliest people I have ever come across. It's a tremendous shame our Churches are not in communion with each other.

At the Latin Masses I attend, the number of people going to confession is very high. One church has between 1 and 5 priests hearing confession from 7 am to 1pm on Sunday, and their are always lines. An Opus Dei parish I sometimes attend has confession 7 days a week, and one of the priests always mentions that Holy Communion is only for Catholics who are in a state of grace. He then adds that "if you're not in a state of grace, we're always available to hear your confession".

On the downside, at the two closest RC churches to me, I'd say only between 1 and 2 pct of the parishoners go to confession. Then their are some other horror stories, like the one church near the South Lake Front, where the priest told me with a silly smile on his face, that "we took the confessionals out because no one goes anymore", or the large church on the near North Side with 8 beautiful old confessionals that are used for storage, and sadly the 60 year old Eucharistic minister at my healthclub, who boasted to me how he told his priest that he hadn't been to confession since he was a teenager, and he isn't going to start going now.