Confession in Ukrainain Church

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Tradycja

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Perhaps there is already a thread on this subject, but I cannot find it. I regularly go to the UGCC for Liturgy and Confession. What is the proper way or format to go to Confession in the UGCC? I mean what are you supposed to say? Does the penitent say “Bless me Father for I have sinned…my last confession was…”?

The priests there know I am Latin Rite so they never instruct me on this things. I even asked one time, but I was told “don’t worry about it”. LOL. One of the priests there is also bi-ritual (to help out a local Latin parish) so he gives me the Latin form of absolution.
I am glad that the priests there are so accepting of people of other rites as well as flexible, but I really WANT TO KNOW!
 
Tradycja, I usually confess in Ukrainian but I’ll do my best to give you the English equivalent that I was taught many years ago when I was still a child. Some of the other regular posters here may have prayer books with them and may add something different. So off the top of my head:
  1. Enter the confessional, kneel, make the sign of the cross and "In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Glory Be to Jesus Christ. The last phrase in Ukrainian is pronounced “Slava Isusu Khrystu” to which the priest may reply “Slava na Viky” or “Glory Be Forever”.
  2. You then give the prologue: “Father, it has been _______________(weeks, months, etc) since my last confession, I completed my penance, and since that time I have committed the following sins for which I am truly sorry:” Here you can list all your sins, frequency, etc. You will know better than I what rapport you have established with your priest at this time as to back and forth conversation. The priest may ask questions or give recommendations.
  3. After listing your sins, the priest may give helpful advice and assign you your penance (Our Fathers, Hail Marys, something else).
  4. At completion of this, the priest may say a prayer of absolution over you during which you may recite the following act of penance (in Ukrainian it is called Bozhe Mylostyvyj)
a) Lord Have Mercy on me a sinner;
b) Lord Cleanse me of my sins and Have Mercy on me;
c) Lord I have sinned without number, Lord please Forgive me.

In saying the above 3 one after the other you may make the sign of the cross for each or, alternatively, take your right hand and make a fist and touch your heart with your right hand for each (old style).

During this prayer of penance, the priest, as above, may recite a prayer over you which will end with him blessing you. When he is done, you can say “thank you Father” or “Glory be to Jesus Christ” (Slava Isusu Khrystu), cross yourself and voila, off to complete penance.

That’s it. Someone else might have other recommendations but that is it off the top of my head. God Bless.
 
Generally speaking, in the Byzantine tradition, confessions are heard before the Iconostas or any convenient place. They are always done face to face, in as much privacy as can be arranged. Usually they are made standing. In some places, especially if it’s going to take a while, the penitent sits. And yes, kneeling is not unheard of. There’s no hard and fast rule.

Get your body up there and the Priest and the Holy Spirit will do the rest!
 
There is no set form as in the Latin Rite. A shorter form and a longer form commonly used are included in The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship printed by the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies.

Here is the short form. Upon entering the area where the confession is to be heard, greet the priest as Andrew has mentioned above (with the seasonal greeting; usually “Slava Isusu Christu”). Cross yourself twice, kiss the Gosepl and Cross if they are present, and then face the Gospel to say your confession (if no Gospel or Cross, then cross yourself three times).

You then say "I, a sinner, confess to Almighty God, the Lord, One in the Holy Trinity; to the immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, to Saint (name), my patron saint, to all the saints, and to you, (my spiritual) Father, all of my sins.

You then tell your sins. At the conclusion: “For these sins, and for all my sins which I cannot remember, I am truly sorry because I have offended God who is good. I sincerely repent and I promise, with the help of God, to better my way of life. And so, I ask you, (my spiritual) Father, for saving penance and absolution.”

The priest then says the absolution. As Andrew mentions you can conclude with the Prayer of the Publican (“God be merciful to me, a sinner”), thank the priest, and again give the seasonal greeting as you depart.
 
KyivAndrew said:
Tradycja, I usually confess in Ukrainian but I’ll do my best to give you the English equivalent that I was taught many years ago when I was still a child. Some of the other regular posters here may have prayer books with them and may add something different. So off the top of my head:
  1. Enter the confessional, kneel, make the sign of the cross and "In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Glory Be to Jesus Christ. The last phrase in Ukrainian is pronounced “Slava Isusu Khrystu” to which the priest may reply “Slava na Viky” or “Glory Be Forever”.
  2. You then give the prologue: “Father, it has been _______________(weeks, months, etc) since my last confession, I completed my penance, and since that time I have committed the following sins for which I am truly sorry:” Here you can list all your sins, frequency, etc. You will know better than I what rapport you have established with your priest at this time as to back and forth conversation. The priest may ask questions or give recommendations.
  3. After listing your sins, the priest may give helpful advice and assign you your penance (Our Fathers, Hail Marys, something else).
  4. At completion of this, the priest may say a prayer of absolution over you during which you may recite the following act of penance (in Ukrainian it is called Bozhe Mylostyvyj)
a) Lord Have Mercy on me a sinner;
b) Lord Cleanse me of my sins and Have Mercy on me;
c) Lord I have sinned without number, Lord please Forgive me.

In saying the above 3 one after the other you may make the sign of the cross for each or, alternatively, take your right hand and make a fist and touch your heart with your right hand for each (old style).

During this prayer of penance, the priest, as above, may recite a prayer over you which will end with him blessing you. When he is done, you can say “thank you Father” or “Glory be to Jesus Christ” (Slava Isusu Khrystu), cross yourself and voila, off to complete penance.

That’s it. Someone else might have other recommendations but that is it off the top of my head. God Bless.
Click to expand...
The explanation is written very well . Step by step. A+++
 
bpbasilphx said:
Generally speaking, in the Byzantine tradition, confessions are heard before the Iconostas or any convenient place. They are always done face to face, in as much privacy as can be arranged. Usually they are made standing. In some places, especially if it’s going to take a while, the penitent sits. And yes, kneeling is not unheard of. There’s no hard and fast rule.

Get your body up there and the Priest and the Holy Spirit will do the rest!
Click to expand...
I’ve experienced at least two traditions of confession in Orthodox Churches.

The “Byzantine” tradition is to confess standing in front of the Christ icon. The priest places his epitrachelion over the penitent’s head. One time, the priest had me do confession beside the altar. Not sure if this is a tradition or if the priest did it because it was more private in the sanctuary (since I went before Divine Liturgy).

The “Russian” tradition is to confess before the cross and the Gospel. When I confess there also is an icon of Mary.

There are many local variations too it would seem.
 
I officially changed rites from RC to Ukrainian Catholic 20 years ago.

The priest who counseled me mention that during confession,I might want to add this phrase:"…these are the sins I wish to confess,Father, and I wish to include all the sins of my past life,especially those sins of XXXXXX’
 
Again, I say this, don’t be overwhelmed in Liturgy, Confession or any of the Sacraments.

My daughter goes to a Rutheniun church because what is all that is available to her. I went there for confession and it was done “old style”. You knelt before the priest told him al the sins you could remember. You answered his questions. He put his stole over your head, his hand over the stole and absolved you.

In my Ukrainian church I went into the confessional, RC style, said my sins and asked for absoution.

I my nearby Byzantine church, confession was behind t he screen in the sacristy, I confessed and asked for absolution.

It doesn’t matter HOW you confess, the important thing is that you DID confess with your whole heart and obtained absolution for your sins.
 
The rules for going to Confession in a Ukrainian Catholic Church are different from the rules for going to Confession in a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church…

The Ukrainians have allowed for some Roman or Latinizations through the years…Most Ukrainians use confessional Booths whereas Ruthenians confess in front of the alter screen or iconostasis …I’ve only seen actual Russian orthodox cover their confessors with the Cloth… Eastern Catholics rarely use the Cloth for a confession…
 
Perogi said:
The rules for going to Confession in a Ukrainian Catholic Church are different from the rules for going to Confession in a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church…

The Ukrainians have allowed for some Roman or Latinizations through the years…Most Ukrainians use confessional Booths whereas Ruthenians confess in front of the alter screen or iconostasis …I’ve only seen actual Russian orthodox cover their confessors with the Cloth… Eastern Catholics rarely use the Cloth for a confession…
Click to expand...
Every Byzantine Catholic priest (and the sole Ukrainian priest) to whom I have confessed has covered my head with his stole.
 
Perogi said:
I’ve only seen actual Russian orthodox cover their confessors with the Cloth… Eastern Catholics rarely use the Cloth for a confession…
Click to expand...
This has not been my experience with the Eastern Catholic priests to whom I’ve confessed.
 
Perogi said:
…I’ve only seen actual Russian orthodox cover their confessors with the Cloth… Eastern Catholics rarely use the Cloth for a confession…
Click to expand...
Thinking about this… I think it is a Russian custom to cover the head of the person confessing with the stole during the entire confession, rather than just absolution. That might be what is referred to here.
 
I went to a Roman Catholic k-8 school. I only went to confession during our school wide confession days. I always went in a conventional confessional with a screen or curtain.
As a kid, I was too afraid/shy to go face to face, which was the practice at my Maronite parish.
In my high school years, I drifted away from the Church and didn’t go back until just a few years ago at the age of 45.

Anyway, I had my first experience going to confession at the Maronite parish just a few years ago. To the best of my knowledge, there is no certain defined practice for the sacrament in the Maronite Church. At my parish, the form and “script” is similar to the Roman Catholic style, with some differences.

At my Maronite parish, Confession is face to face. I make the Sign of the Cross and say how long it’s been since the last confession. Then, my priest holds up the end of his stole, and the Cross of the stole is right in front of my face. When I tell my sins, I speak toward the Cross of the stole, and my priest bows his head as I speak.

After, I say my sins, my priest lowers the stole, and he speaks with me in a short sort of spiritual direction and gives a penance. Then, he says to make an act of contrition, and he again raises the stole and I say it towards the Cross. Then he absolves me making the sign of the Cross holding the stole.

This is just the way it’s done at my Maronite parish.
 
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