Frequent Confession
Scepter Booklet 000
S. Ferigle
I have read a number of the Scepter booklets over the years. Some many times. It appears I have not read this one previously, or I missed recording it. I first read a booklet in this series while on retreat twenty years ago in 2006. Many of the old Scepter Booklet’s are now available for free on their site. edition of it. In 2026 the Scepter Podcast read an excerpt of this volume and it really struck me, so I read in the next day.
The Scepter Booklet edition description is:
“Priests should be careful not to discourage the faithful from frequent or devotional confession. On the contrary, let them draw attention to its fruitfulness for Christian living and always display readiness to hear such a confession whenever a reasonable request is made by the faithful. It must be absolutely prevented that individual confession should be reserved for serious sins only, for this would deprive the faithful of the great benefit of confession and would injure the good name of those who approach the sacrament singly.”
The volume has obtained the:
Nihil Obstat: Daniel V. Flynn, J.C.D., Censor librorum; Imprimatur: James P. Mahoney, D.D., Vicar General, Archdiocese of New York; January 15, 1976
The chapters in the booklet are:
Introduction
What the Church Teaches
The Pope Praises it
Is it a Waste of Time
Confession Contributes much
Religious Should Confess Often
What are some Guidelines?
A Tool for Perfection
It Benefits all Ages
I highlighted a few passages while working through this booklet, some of them are:
“AMONG THE DIFFERENT “vague impressions” that priests encounter in the exercise of their ministry is the feeling, on the part of many, that somehow things have changed with regard to confession. It used to be that we were encouraged to go to confession often — once a week, every two weeks, every month. Now the common practice seems to be to receive Communion every time one attends Mass — a very worthwhile practice if one is properly disposed to receive — and to relegate the old practice of frequent confession to the attic along with the statues and images that have been removed from the parish church in the last time it was remodeled.”
“But this point is a secondary. Primary is “the great benefit of frequent confession” and “its fruitfulness for Christian living.””
“The Church has taught and continues to teach is that it is not necessary to confess venial sins, but that it is advisable to do so.”
“From this follows, at the catechetical level, the distinction between the necessary matter and the free and sufficient matter of the sacrament of penance. The necessary matter is all mortal sins committed after Baptism and not already directly forgiven in confession. These sins are called the necessary matter because there is a strict obligation to confess them. The free and sufficient matter for the sacrament are either venial sins, or mortal sins already confessed and for which the penitent has received absolution.”
“Encouraging this practice, he cites some of the benefits to be derived from it (the numbers have been added):
By it:
1. Genuine self-knowledge is increased;
2. Christian humility grows;
3. Bad habits are corrected;
4. Spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted;
5. The conscience is purified;
6. The will strengthened;
7. A salutary self-control is attained; and
8. Grace is increased in virtue of the sacrament itself.”
“Shortly after the Council, Pope Paul VI spoke about the need for Penance in a long document (February 17, 1966). One point of this document made headlines, namely, that Fridays outside Lent are no longer obligatory days of abstinence for the universal Church; the rest, unfortunately, was largely ignored.”
“The number of people making confessions may have decreased over the last few decades, but the teaching of the Church on the subject has not diminished. Perhaps Sister Joan ignored the subject altogether in teaching her fifth grade class, or told her students that going to confession once a year was plenty.”
“How frequent is frequent? This is a question that can be asked with either a legalistic outlook or a sincere desire to know how best to fulfill the wishes of the Church on frequent confession. It has been clearly stated from the beginning that frequent confession refers essentially to the realm of accusation of venial sins, for which there is no strict obligation. To pin down an exact answer, however, is within the realm of legalism.”
“For those who sincerely wish to do their best to avail themselves of the opportunity of frequent confession in order to grow spiritually, frequent confession will ordinarily be associated with having a fixed confessor. The confessor will be the best qualified person to suggest the frequency suited to the spiritual development and the physical and moral possibilities of the penitent. Within those rather broad limits of flexibility and in accord with a general rule of common sense, we can refer to one of the documents mentioned above which speaks about “receiving the Sacrament of Penance frequently, that is twice a month.” Previous legislation which specified regular intervals for confession referred to weekly confession. One can therefore say in general terms that, whenever possible, frequent confession will ordinarily mean between once a month and once a week.”
“We can certainly say that the Church’s teaching has been and continues to be that frequent confession is beneficial to people of all ages, to 65-year-old Aunt Margie and to Sister Joan’s fifth graders who are ready, willing, and curious to discover the unfathomable depths of God’s love.”
There are numerous volumes around confession, even from Scepter, but this is a concise quick read that I believe any Catholic would benefit from. I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent little booklet. It is a great little volume. A number of years ago I wanted to track down all the old Scepter Booklets and read them. I did not plan on reviewing them, just reading them because all of them I had read were great. I believe there were originally over 200 volumes in the series. Currently 54 are available for free. And I have over 100 in various digital editions.
I can easily recommend this specific Scepter Booklet and all of them from the series I have read!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan! For reviews of other books and booklets from Scepter click here.
Books About Confession:
Frequent Confession - S. Ferigle - Scepter Booklet 000
…
Scepter Booklets:
5 Steps to a Financially Healthy Marriage - Joseph D. Salem
A New Beginning - Walter Macken
A Plan of Life - Josemaria Escriva
A Profile of St Thomas More - M. Alvarez
A Treasury of Prayers - James W Albrecht
Bright and Cheerful Homes - James Urteaga
Catholic Teachings on Sex - Daryl Glick
Celibacy, Personality and the Gift of Self - John B Torello
Censorship - Cormac Burke
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - Declaration on Certain Questions of Sexual Ethics
Devotion to St. Joseph - F Delclaux
Diary of a City Priest - George William Rutler
Dispositions for Faith - John Henry Newman
Divine Ways on Earth - Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli
Francis Luna - How to Pray
Freedom From What For What - Cormac Burke
Frequent Confession - S Feirgle
How to Pray – Rev. Francis Luna
In Gods House - Paul Nitta
Increase and Multiply - J. A. Garcia-Prieto and J. L. Pastor
Is Purity Possible - JL Soria
Legacy A Story of Generosity - James B Stenson
Life of Faith - Josemaria Escriva
Living in God’s Presence - Francis Luna
Making the Most of Confession - Francis Luna
Marriage in Crisis - Cormac Burke
Montserrat Grases - Mercedes Eguibar
Norms of Piety - JM Muntadas
Novena to St. Josemaria Escriva for Work
Novena to the Immaculate Conception - St Josemaria Escriva
On the Encyclical “The Splendor of the Truth” - Russell Shaw
Order - Joseph L Soria
Parents, Children and The Rules of Life - Cormac Burke
Popular Devotions and Theology - JJ Espinosa
Priests for the New Millennium - John C McCloskey
Reinventing Dad - Denis Helming
Sanctifying Ordinary Work - Andrew Byrne
Scepter Christmas Carols
Seeking Christ in Reading - Rev Eugene Boylan
Sir Thomas More The Making of a Saint - Thomas J. McGovern
Sowing Abundant Doctrine - Joseph A. Vidal
The Angels - Cardinal John Wright
The Apostle Who Couldn't Believe - George Chevrot
The Ark and the Dove - Joseph W. McPherson
The Christian in the World - Russell Shaw
The Donkey at the Waterwheel - Malcolm Kennedy
The Galileo Affair - George Sim Johnston
The Gospel Truth - Michael Giesler
The Laity’s Role in Today’s Church - John Paul II's Christifideles Laici
The Limits of Dissent - John Myers
The Priest and His Image - Alvaro del Portillo
The Reasonableness of Christianity - Peter Kreeft
To Make a Good Retreat - David Chandler
When God Calls - Rev. Federico Suarez
Winning Converts - John McCloskey
With All Your Mind - Rev. Federico Suarez
Women’s Liberation and Feminism - Jutta Burggraf
Work as Fufillment in the thought of John Paul II - John F Cloverdale
…
The Original List of Scepter Booklets:
001 Loyalty to the Church
002 Sowing Abundant Doctrine
003 Time is a Treasure
004 "Increase and Multiply"
006 Human Virtues
007 Bright and Cheerful Homes
008 Freedom From What? For What ?
009 Christ's Presence in Christians
010 Mother of God, Our Mother
011 Supernatural Aim of the Church
012 That All may be Saved
014 The Angels 016 A Priest Forever
017 Marriage, Christian Vocation
018 With All Your Mind
019 Dispositions for Faith
020/021 A New Beginning
022 Sanctifying Ordinary Work
024 Is Purity Possible
025 Life of Prayer
026 Ascension of Our Lord
027 The Religion of the Pharisee
028 To Jesus Through Mary
029 The New Barbarism
030 Passionately Loving the World
032 Montserrat Grases
033 The Great Unknown
034 Love of God and Love of Neighbor
035 Popular Devotions and Theology
036 Towards Holiness
037 "Things New and Old"
038 Christ Triumphs Through Humility
039 Judge Among Men
041 Divine Ways on Earth:
042 interior Struggle
044 The Eucharist: Mystery of Faith and Love
048 Living in God's Presence
049 Marriage in Crisis
050 The Priest and His Image
051 Freedom and the Church
052 Freedom A Gift of God
053 Censorship
054 Christ the King
055 Humanae Vitae
056 With the Strength of Love
057 Devotion to St. Joseph
058 The Christian Vocation
060 Woman Today
063 The Way of the Cross
064 Surrender to God
066 Conscience and Truth
069 Will You Also Go Away?
070 Twenty Questions to Msgr. Escriva
071 Have You Received the Spirit?
072 The Christian's Hope
073 Marxism and Christianity
074 The Apostle Who Couldn't Believe
075 God's Work
076 Heaven
080 Conversion of the Children of God
081 Full of Grace
082 St. Thomas More: A Profile
083 Justice Alone is Not Enough
085 "Your Sins Are Forgiven You"
087 Here and Now
088 In the Footsteps of Christ
089 Before and After Holy Mass
090 The Greatness of Ordinary Life
091 The Communion of Saints 092 The Blessed Trinity
093/094 Ideals in Youth
095 How to Understand the Bible
096 How the Bible Has Come to Us
098 What is the Church For?
099 Msgr. Escriva De Belaguer: His Love for the Church
100 Parents Children and the Rules of Life
101 Before God and Men
103 On the Feast of Corpus Christi
104 Fatima and Its Pilgrims
105 Authority Faith, and The Individual
106 Letter to Priests
107 Growing in Parenthood
109 Detachment
111 Population and Development
112 Reaching and Teaching Your Children
113 Strangers and Exiles
114 Woman Today: Her Role in the Family
115 Christ's Death Is The Christian's Life
116 The Need for Penance
117 Our lady's Place in Your Life
118 Commentaries on the Holy Mass
119/120 Letter on the Holy Eucharist
121 Why Suffer
123 Man Essential Part 1
124 Man Essential Part 2
125 Sir Thomas More: The Making Of A Saint
126 The Ventures of Faith
127 The Mystical Number Three
128 The Ark and the Dove
129 Come Holy Spirit
131/132 Family, Become What You Are
133 Friendship Of Christ
134 Freedom to Love
136 Conscience and Authority
137 Seeking God in the World
138 Priesthood of Today and Tomorrow
139 A Year of Jubilee
140 Evolution
141 The Black Madonna
142 Christ in his Church
143 Meeting the Press
144 Will Being Good Make Me Happy?
145/146 Letters to a College Student
147 A Game Plan For The Christian
148 Catholic Understanding of Marital Intimacy
150 Process Theology and Secularization
151 Opus Dei & Its Critics
152 Reading: Learning to Choose
153 Liberation Theology
154 Joys & Sorrows St. Joseph
155 Alive to God
156 Keeping God in the Closet
157 Freedom and Obedience
158 With Respect to Sex
159 The Individuality of the Soul
160 Work and the Spiritual Life
161 Women at Work
162 20 Questions to Mgr. Alvaro del Portillo
163 Go For It!
164 Speaking from the Heart
166 Talking About God
167 The Intelligence in the Service of Christ the King
168 Penance
169 Law and Morality
170 Sex & Education
171 The Romance of Orthodoxy
172 Marriage And The Priesthood
173 In Her Will I Dwell
178 The Gospel Truth
179 To Make a Good Retreat
180 Contraception
181/182 Sucessful Fathers
183 The Laity's Role in today's Church
184 Spiritual Direction
187 Reasonableness of Christianity
190 The Christian in the World
191 Seven Words From The Cross
192 The Beatification of Msgr. Escriva
194 Mass: The Hidden Treasure
197 Evangelization in the U.S.
199/200 Order
201 The Galileo Affair
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204 Reinventing Dad
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