Confession Changes

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In newer Byzantine churches, there is NO confessional. The priest and penitent stand before the icon of Christ on the iconostas in the nave of the church.

A few years ago, I went to the Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in Philadelphia. I wanted to go to confession. One of the priests was kind enough to hear my confession but we had to do it at one of the icons on the side of the cathedral (while people are walking back and forth and seeing us). I was petrified at first, then sufficiently recovered to make my confession. The cathedral does have confessionals, but it was so crowded that day that I just asked a priest to hear my confession.
 
Margaret_Ann said:
In newer Byzantine churches, there is NO confessional. The priest and penitent stand before the icon of Christ on the iconostas in the nave of the church.
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It’s the same in older Byzantine churches.

It’s just the ones that were built under heavy latin influence that has them . . .
 
I’ve gone the traditional way occasionally but prefer to go in the confessional. Most of the parishioners (unless they can’t kneel, like our elderly parishioners) prefer the confessional too.
 
Margaret_Ann said:
I’ve gone the traditional way occasionally but prefer to go in the confessional. Most of the parishioners (unless they can’t kneel, like our elderly parishioners) prefer the confessional too.
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I’m so sorry. That must have come off as a terribly personal question. I meant “does one” confess in the traditional manner, 😊

So, it is a regular confessional with a screen and all? Is there an option to go traditionally? One of my favorite things about confession in the Byzantine Rite is when the priest places his stole on my head. I would imagine that couldn’t be done in a confessional. Also, is confession done in the Byzantine form or the Latin form?
 
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Margaret_Ann said:
Our church has confessionals (and it was built in 1997).
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The ball was rolling for delatinization at that point, but it wasn’t up to speed.

I think some were still being built without iconostasis 😱😱😱 at that point, too.
 
babochka said:
One of my favorite things about confession in the Byzantine Rite is when the priest places his stole on my head.
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Me too in the Russian church. Being under God’s protection (literally) is quite wonderful.

For those unaware, in the East a penitent kneels for absolution and the Priest puts his stole over their head:

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A traditional, fully screened confessional would probably be fairly intimidating for a young child. Besides this, it’s preferable (in this time at least) to hear kids confessions out in the open (like in a quiet corner down the back sort of thing) rather than in a room with the door shut. Of course if a child came to me in the confessional during the regular course of hearing confessions, I wouldn’t turn them away - I’m more meaning Rite II situations.
 
I think this is a great idea and if the priest is hearing confessions in the pew they ought to have some kind of religious chanting recordings going on for privacy sake. We surly do need to protect our priests. They should have done this years ago.
 
OldCAFMember said:
The glass door thing started in 2002, when the earlier round of abuse accusations and cover ups came to light. They became so ubiquitous 20052in so many dioceses, I’m surprised to hear that they are still unfamiliar to anyone in the US.
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It’s very similar in my diocese in Adelaide, Australia. My parish has confession rooms with the option of face-to-face or behind a screen. In about 2005 a glass cross was placed in the door, just large enough for someone outside to look in. After the recent round of abuse cases the diocese said every confession room must have a window so the cross was re-worked as a lead light window. It’s quite attractive.

A country church I go to in New South Wales still has the old style confessional with three separate rooms and the priest in the middle. The penitent on either side kneels and speaks through a grill. I’ve never seen more than one penitent however, and usually there are none. This configuration is a relic of a bygone era.
 
In our parish, renovation is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge – it never ends!

Last year we finished our third confessional restructuring in 15 years. Now we have the one-glass-door-one-room-sliding curtain down the middle configuration. You can sit behind the curtain, or sit with the priest on his half of the room for face-to-face. You can’t see each other for anonymous confession if the penitent enters rapidly and executes a flying echappé into the “private” chair. After several confessions, though you can begin to tell who you’re going to (even though we use retired visiting priests to hear reconciliation) by their shoes that always protrude out into the common area, i.e. Fr. Florsheims, Fr. Skechers, Fr. Bruno Magli, etc.

This month’s alterations include renting a temporary facility to house supplies, vestments, and act at a changing room while we install sacristy windows to Safeguard the Children recommendations to put windows in all interior doors… This along with other ongoing construction projects will create a need to move Mass to another venue, I’ll bet?!

We’ll see.
 
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My first confession was made in a standard confessional—i.e. three separate rooms. And every subsequent confession for decades after the first. There was always a line outside and confessions tended to be pretty short. It wasn’t until decades later that I experienced face to face confession. But it seems that the problems with abuse only began after they started putting priest and penitent in the same room. I don’t mind confessions out in the open. But if I’m in a confessional I don’t want windows.
 
Edmundus1581 said:
This configuration is a relic of a bygone era.
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My local church, built in the late 60’s has the three room setup. In fact, all the churches I’ve been to have it, except two ultra-modern ones in very expensive areas. They only had a two room setup (priest/penitent). On a side note, all their stained glass windows were picaso-esque mordern art pieces. Couldn’t make out a thing without the plaques that would tell you what the scene was supposed to be, and then I’d still wonder what was supposed to be what.

My favorite is the one built in the 1920’s with ornate wooden confessionals as you described (penitent/priest/penitent) and it’s pitch dark when you enter. By the time your eyes adjust your done confessing.
 
InThePew said:
A traditional, fully screened confessional would probably be fairly intimidating for a young child. Besides this, it’s preferable (in this time at least) to hear kids confessions out in the open (like in a quiet corner down the back sort of thing) rather than in a room with the door shut. Of course if a child came to me in the confessional during the regular course of hearing confessions, I wouldn’t turn them away - I’m more meaning Rite II situations.
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I would not make any kind of generalization as to what “would probably be.” Children have been making their first confessions for a long time, and behind the screen works well for most who choose it. The option is there for either way, if the priest chooses to offer face-to-face, which is he not obligated to do. He does, however, need to offer anonymous confession. I suggest allowing the child and parent to decide.
 
Confessing without a screen isn’t that bad. In the Orthodox Church- we confess before an icon of Christ in front of the iconostasis with the priest standing right next to us. The confession line is easily seen behind you. Everyone can see you- but nobody can hear you. It’s okay. Really. I just want to encourage you all.
 
It’s the Ukrainian form of absolution. Some Roman Catholics who occasionally come to our church for confession later ask me something along the lines of “Did I really get absolved?” 😖 And I always answer that we have a different formula of absolution.

Years ago, there was a Byzantine Catholic priest who I went to in the traditional manner. (You had to stand in the sacristy.) He would put his epitrakhilion (that’s the correct term, not stole 😉) on top of my head and I’d make my confession. He was such a wise priest but I don’t know if he’s still living. I haven’t seen him in 20+ years.
 
Our parish finally got an iconostas in 2009 - because another parish in upstate PA was closed. 😥

I think I posted this on another thread (it’s from the Third Sunday of the Great Fast) but it’s still nice):

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The four icons on the sides with brown frames were all that we had until 2009. Metropolitan Stefan came and blessed the iconostas in 2010.
 
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Margaret_Ann said:
Our parish finally got an iconostas in 2009 - because another parish in upstate PA was closed. 😥
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Those closings are a mixed thing . . . on the one hand, the churches are closing, while on the other, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of immigrant are finding better jobs than they were forced to take.

Our priest spent some weeks a few years ago traveling the “old country”, and brought back a variety of things (a beautiful tabernacle, candles, and such)
 
Margaret_Ann said:
epitrakhilion (that’s the correct term, not stole 😉
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Yes, but people here only speak Latin. Even if the word “stole” came to English from Greek via Latin. 🙃 I love etymology. And while stole is not a liturgical term in the Byzantine Rite, it is an accurate description in English for what the priest wears. Linguistically correct, but not liturgically.

But it is good to expose people to the correct terminology, so thank you!
 
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