“The whole liturgical life of the Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and sacraments….Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony” (CCC 1113)
“Through the Church’s sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body.” (CCC 739)
“The communion of the sacraments…unite us to God” (CCC 951)
“Sacraments are ‘powers that come forth’ from the Body of Christ” (CCC 1116)
“The ordained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments” (CCC 1120)
“The three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders confer, in addition to grace, a sacramental character or ‘seal’ by which the Christian shares in Christ’s priesthood and is made a member of the Church” (CCC 1121)
“the sacraments confers the grace they signify. They are efficacious” (CCC 1127)
“The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.” (CCC 1129)
“The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful the partakers in the divine nature by uniting them in loving union with the only Son, the Savior” (CCC 1129) [Council of Trent in 1547]
“The New Law … uses the sacraments to communicate grace to us” (CCC 1983)
So what do the Bishops do? They close the Churches, kowtow to Governors, remove Holy Water, you can stream Mass, Confession is barred, no Annointing of the Sick...
Why are the faithful leaving? Some need any excuse to leave but many others are receiving the message "it doesn't really matter" only this life matters. Maybe the hierarchy doesn't have the courage of their convictions and are largely hypocrites.
Why don't they offer Confession more often, and why don't they talk about it much anymore?
As I explained to a non Catholic, who thought it was all about the priest wanting to hear your sins, (and why do you have to tell someone else about them?), I said that it is about you examining YOUR OWN CONSCIENCE, and realizing that you have sinned and need forgiveness from God.
It is not about the priest pointing out your sins (which is what the person I was talking to thought).
You confess what you know you did wrong, and ask for Reconciliation, which the priest has authority to grant to you.
That said, my church used to offer Confession twice a week. Now, it's only for an hour on Saturday, and they only really talk about Confession during Lent.
Another issue, I would like to see brought up, is Fridays.
You are supposed to be doing some sort of weekly penance, and if not, should at least abstain on Fridays (fish on Fridays).
I imagine a lot of Catholics have selective hearing, and only heard "You can have meat on Fridays", but may not heard the rest of it?
My 2 cents.