The confession

Read The Perennial Value of the Traditional Confessional by John J. Coughlin, OFM

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"Confession: A Roman Catholic App" helps penitents prepare for the sacrament by walking them through the process. But they still have to go into that confessional and speak to a priest.

For Protestants, the most unknown aspect of Catholic devotional life is confession. Unless you’re Catholic, you cannot experience it. A Protestant can attend a Catholic baptism, confirmation, wedding, ordination, and Holy Mass; however, he cannot attend a confession or know what it’s like until he actually makes one for the first time. Now most Protestants […]

Alessandro Magnasco, also called Lissandro and Lissandrino (Italian (active Genoa, Milan, Venice, and Florence) 1667–1749)

This is a priest's eye view of confession.

“That mighty preacher, Thomas Chalmers, was once pondering over why, in spite of all his efforts and enormous popularity, there was not more spiritual outcome to show for it all, and came to …

Aside from the odd TV series, women's prisons are shrouded in mystery. This is what it's really like working as an officer in one of them.

Penance has played a prominent role in religions all over the world. And the interesting thing is there are documents spanning the globe which discuss penance and provide clear opportunities to find out more about the world's history. Penitential literature gives credible information which allows you to peek into people's lives. But what exactly is penitential literature, and why is it so interesting for history?