The Role of the Sacrament of Penance in the Lives of Penitents According to the Questionnaire-Based Survey

Abstract

The  article  is  an  attempt  to  describe  the  attitude  toward  the  sacrament  of  penance. A questionnaire-based survey carried out on the group of 65 people provided some basic information, including their practical approach to the confession. It has been proved that a highdegree of declared religiousness often does not go hand in hand with practicing of this sacrament because as much as 1/4 of the respondents goes to confession rarely or sporadically. Almost 20% of the group spends little or no time on the examination of conscience and a prayer before the confession. Moreover, the motivation, difficulties and the opinion on how confession influences life, were also diagnosed. It turned out that in many cases there is a noticeable connection between the answers and sex, place of living (urban or rural area), age and level of education. The analysis showed that there is a considerable degree of individualism and selectiveness in attitude toward the sacrament of penance and reconciliation so it is necessary to realize again the need and under- standing of it, especially among men and young people.