Confession - Face to Face or Confessional

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Karl_M said:
There is at least one priest (and probably more where he came from) that refuses to allow people to kneel behind the screen. When I went in for confession at that parish once (no coincidence that it’s the last time I went there for confession), as I went into the room, he told me to sit facing him, when I asked if I could be behind the screen, he said “no, you can’t, you need to sit here.”
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I would of walked right out (which I have done before) and reported him to the Bishop.
 
Well I just came from confession that is almost a third way. In the front of St Joeseph’s on Capital Hill to the right of the alter they have a kneeler with rest for your elbows and a 1X1 screen attached to the top . The priest sits on the other side. If you are not careful your sins may be told to any one within 50 feet. And since mass begins at the end of confessions there are times when people do sit within 20 feet of confessiona nd wait for mass to begin. And everybody sees you confessing.
 
BeluvdLily said:
I’m just wondering about how common it is for confession to be done face to face rather than in a confessional. Our church does it face to fact but frankly I would feel much more comfortable in a confessional.

I have seriously considered calling some of the parishes in the area to see how they do it and to find one where there is a confessional just for confession purposes. Having just been received into the Church in December, this is still new to me and I would feel much more comfortable with a little anonymity.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Amie
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We still have the old confessionals and they left the screen up on one side or you may go around to the other side and sit across from the priest. After having confessed face to face, I would never go back behind the screen.

Kelly
 
hilde_the_dog said:
Well I just came from confession that is almost a third way. In the front of St Joeseph’s on Capital Hill to the right of the alter they have a kneeler with rest for your elbows and a 1X1 screen attached to the top . The priest sits on the other side. If you are not careful your sins may be told to any one within 50 feet. And since mass begins at the end of confessions there are times when people do sit within 20 feet of confessiona nd wait for mass to begin. And everybody sees you confessing.
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Yikes…

That sounds like something that could keep people away in droves!
 
Karl_M said:
There is at least one priest (and probably more where he came from) that refuses to allow people to kneel behind the screen. When I went in for confession at that parish once (no coincidence that it’s the last time I went there for confession), as I went into the room, he told me to sit facing him, when I asked if I could be behind the screen, he said “no, you can’t, you need to sit here.”

Of course, I guess I should be glad he has confessions, there’s at least one parish I have been to where the priest doesn’t hear confessions, and the bulletin lists the confession schedule as “Sacrament of Reconcilation: Communal Penance Services offered during Advent and Lent.”

So, I guess it could be worse.
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As a kind young priest told me, if a priest ever shouts, humiliates you, or treats you unkindly in the confessional, you have every right to simply say respectfully, “Thank you, Father” and walk out (to another confessor, another church, etc). Good advice.
 
At my parish, there are the old fashioned confessionals which are used now and then. Mostly there is a “reconciliation chapel” where you have your choice of behind the screen or face to face. I’ve never done a face to fact confession. It’s easier for me to relate to “in persona Christi” if there is a screen. Otherwise, I feel personality takes over facing the priest. I read somewhere that it’s actually better for the priest hearing confession if it’s more private (with the screen). Confession is intimate. I think face to face is not sensitive.
 
LJN21

It took so time to get used to it, and I’m not completely there yet after two years. And I still wish people praying before mass would stay away from the confessional area.

You know the confessions are before the noon mass for twenty-five minutes and strangely there are on average about 5 people going to confession with this one and only priest. This is on Capital Hill so that should give you confidence that there are good staffers that go to mass and confession during the day. Henry Hyde used to attend Mass there sometines.
 
I’m new here so this is the first thread if caught on this topic. Personally I have a hard time with confession. Although I find it one of the biggest consolations the church has to offer, It still gives me the shakes. I have traveled a bit around the world and in some countries confessing behind a screen is expected for Women and face to face is looked upon as the only acceptable option for men. I’m one of those people who just cant go in and say all my dirty little secrets to just anyone so if I have no Idea who might be in the confessional you better believe I want a screen. If on the other hand I have a certain proximity with the Priest, face to face seems much more effective to me.

Not having the option of a screen is to me a complete lack of respect. Not having the option of face to face seems kind of cold. The best confessionals I’ve ever seen are the ones with a screen that the penitent can pull back if he desires face to face.
 
At my home parish, we have the old-fashioned Confessionals.

At the parish where I normally go to Confession, they have a Reconciliation room with a large partition - when you first walk in, you can just kneel down at the partition and make your Confession, or else you can walk around the partition and confess face to face. I’ve done it both ways.

At another parish that I have gone to, the Confessionals are designed in the old way, except that they have frosted windows to the outside, and there is a frosted partition between you and the priest, so it’s light and airy - not claustrophobic, and you can vaguely see his head and what he is doing (like if he is making the Sign of the Cross), but you can’t recognize him. That’s a perfect compromise, I think. But I don’t go there very often, even though I like it there. (I’m trying to figure myself out, on that one. 🤷 )
 
We have old-fashioned confessionals at my parish and I prefer to confess that way.

Another local parish has reconciliation rooms where you can choose to kneel behind a screen or walk around it to confess face-to-face.

Having done both face-to-face and anonymous confession, I much prefer confessing anonymously.
 
I like going face to face. Normally it doesn’t bother me. But I have to chuckle when I remember the first time I went to the new parish priest about 15 years ago. I went to the usual face to face confessional expecting the older priest and instead I got a Mel Gibson look alike.
Kathy
 
Thank goodness our little cathedral kept our one hundred twenty-five year old confessionals. You can kneel behind the screen on one side or on the other side you can face the priest with no screen. I go with the screen.
 
My church has a reconciliation room where you can either kneel behind the screen or walk around for face to face, but if you kneel behind the screen there’s a little cheat-sheet to remind you of the right prayers etc. (set up basically like a missal with the you say: …, then priest says: …) something I admit I have used in the past :blushing:
 
There’s nothing to beat the way I go 🙂

I’m claustrophobic so there is no way that I could use a dark old-fashioned confessional.

Thank goodness I don’t have to 🙂

I stand beside my Spiritual Father and before the Icon of Christ and let it all out . The feeling afterwards is great 🙂

Oh I’m a Ukrainian Greek Catholic 🙂
 
djrakowski said:
Same here. This post reminds me of a documentary I watched about the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In several scenes, they showed people kneeling with priests in open fields, parking lots, living rooms, etc. It was beautiful!

However, I can understand the reluctance many people have to face their priests in the confessional, and if anonymous confession isn’t available, it sounds like it needs to be taken up with the local bishop.
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You know, the first time that I went to confession face-to-face, I had to force myself a little. My intention was to have the humiliation for the priest to know the person that go with the sins. To confess embarrasing sins add to my sense of humiliation, which I think is good. I felt I had to do this to prevent myself from growing in pride.
 
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