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This is the south. No parish is close, all are understaffed. But I should make more of an effort.

I know most southern cities have a school, and often the school has a retired or visiting priest piddling about. In Florida, we are very blessed with having Priests who come down on vacation, sort of a busman's holiday, and are happy to help out. These men are a good way to get a confession heard. If you want a confession heard, you have to work sometimes.

I bring this up because a Priest will let you mug them for a Confession. I used to mug the Priest on the College campus I attended all the time. There isn't a Priest who isn't too busy to take 5 min for a brief confession, if you have a real problem, you can always make an appointment. Don't worry about the workload on the Priest, it is a joy for them to hear a good confession.

A (late) Franciscan Priest I knew would take a walk with me through the Parish grounds, it was usually a 15 minute talk. After I confessed my sins, he usually did most of the talking, we would walk and advise me on how to do better. When he passed away, I recalled how great it was to have those times to get the bad things off my chest, he would disarm the Devil's sword, so to speak, as only a Priest with many years of hearing confessions could. Most of the time, this as a result of catching him, mugging him, after the early Mass before I attended a later Mass, or during the week, when he was around. I wouldn't have those great experiences without catching him, and being insistant.

Confessions are a 24 hour activity. If someone is dying a Priest is happy to wake up and run out to assist the person. If you can't find a Confession time, call the Parish or show up and ask to make a confession. If you hang around the back of Church, a Priest will hear a short confession while robing for Mass. All you need is the guts to ask, and you may have a great experience.