Yes, "those were the days."  But religious had to go to Confession even more than the Catholic school kids or their parents.  If school kids [and I agree with you] made up sins for the 'once a month' confessions, can you imagine 18, 19 or 20 year old kids in the Novitiate---where there was---no dating, no nights out or week-ends out, no drinking----having theology or religious lessons every day of the week, and spending time either praying, with spiritual reading, or else CLEANING the provincial building [most of them LARGE building with hundreds of windows to wash]. Going to Confession weekly----would cause young religious to make up sins OR to become scrupulous.  And there were religious who became so.