confession questions

[lisa238]

After falling away from the Catholic faith in my early high school years, i have begun to return to it. For weeks i have longed to go to Confession and seek the forgiveness and comfort i always found in the sacrement when i was younger.

Since i attended a Catholic elementary school, the teachers and the administration always handled making sure the students would get to confess by taking us to the church on the appointed days and directing us where to go and when.

My parish is having confessions tonight, but as i was considering going i realized i don’t really know what to do. My embarassment from not being sure how to act is almost making me consider waiting even longer than i already have. I remember everything
about what to do one on one with the priest, but i never recieved instruction on what to do before i get in there.

For example, if the bulliten says that confessions will be heard between 7 and 8, does that mean that i should go to the church at 7 and wait or is it ok for me to arrive sometime between those times, as long as it is not too close to the end time?

if there happens to be no one else in the church when i arrive, how can i tell whether a priest is available in the confessional and whether there is already someone in there confessing? My thought would be to wait for someone to come out, but what if there was no one in there to begin with? (this church does not have a red or green light outside the confessional)

and how would i know where all the priests are and whether they are available, since i remember back when i was in school there would be two or three sitting in areas that would be hidden from view?

Thanks for any help or advise, and i apologize if my questions sound unorganized or rambling.

 

[jmcrae]

After falling away from the Catholic faith in my early high school years, i have begun to return to it. For weeks i have longed to go to Confession and seek the forgiveness and comfort i always found in the sacrement when i was younger.

Since i attended a Catholic elementary school, the teachers and the administration always handled making sure the students would get to confess by taking us to the church on the appointed days and directing us where to go and when.

That’s a wonderful custom!

My parish is having confessions tonight, but as i was considering going i realized i don’t really know what to do. My embarassment from not being sure how to act is almost making me consider waiting even longer than i already have. I remember everything about what to do one on one with the priest, but i never recieved instruction on what to do before i get in there.

There will be instruction given and some prayers said before you go in. This is what will occur at 7:00 pm.

For example, if the bulliten says that confessions will be heard between 7 and 8, does that mean that i should go to the church at 7 and wait or is it ok for me to arrive sometime between those times, as long as it is not too close to the end time?

In your case, I would recommend that you arrive just before 7:00 pm and listen to the instructions and the prayers.

if there happens to be no one else in the church when i arrive, how can i tell whether a priest is available in the confessional and whether there is already someone in there confessing? My thought would be to wait for someone to come out, but what if there was no one in there to begin with? (this church does not have a red or green light outside the confessional)

Again, if you arrive at 7:00, you will be able to observe the routine, and you will be able to tell when it is your turn to go in.

and how would i know where all the priests are and whether they are available, since i remember back when i was in school there would be two or three sitting in areas that would be hidden from view?

This, too, will be explained at 7:00 pm. You will see them go to their places, and you will know where they are. (At my parish, they put big signs up next to where the priests are.)

Welcome back!! We have been expecting you. Everything will be explained at 7:00 pm.

 

[thespian12]

Hi Lisa,

Welcome back! First of all, I’d like to say that the more you feel awkward about going to confession, the more you need to fight that feeling and go. Don’t take that as doctrine, but the way I see it, Satan knows that when you go to confession, your soul is wiped clean in the sense that your sins are forgiven, you get to try again, and you get the graces to try to avoid that sin in the future. Satan will do anything in his power to turn you away from that chance including make you feel awkward, embarassed, etc. because obviously he does not want you to have a good relationship with God. It’s happened to me and to multiple friends of mine in that there were times that we knew we should probably go to confession but either we were overcome with awkwardness, laziness, or embarassment because we knew the priest we were confessing to. No sin is too great, and after a priest has been ministering for a few years, they tell us that they’ve pretty much heard any sin imaginable, so don’t think whatever you have to confess will shock them.

Depending on whether confession is an actual “reconciliation service” or if it’s just regular confession, there may or may not be prayers/instructions at the beginning. Whenever my CCD teens have a reconciliation service done for them, all of us gather in the chapel and there are usually readings, prayers, and then the priests tell the teens where they’ll be and what will happen during reconciliation.

If it’s just “regular confession” there probably won’t be anything done beforehand. I don’t know what the setup of your church is like, but in most cases, if you enter a confessional, if the light is on, it means the confessional is “occupied.” Considering it’s Lent, I’d say go a bit earlier before 7 to be sure you can get in. You can always let people go ahead of you, but sometimes the lines are so long, and priests can only do confession during that allotted time and therefore won’t get to everyone. Also, you can ask anyone who goes in what the specific procedures about going to confession are. . . ie. if there’s a line or if you just watch for when it’s available, etc.

As to how to prepare yourself for confession, check out this website:

stdamianchurch.org/sacraments.htm

There are two links on that page to really good guides to help you examine your conscience if you need help. Click on the words that say “here” and “here” in the actual document.

Once you go to confession, most times, the priest will begin with a blessing. Sometimes they won’t, and they’ll just say “Hi” or “And how long has it been since your last confession” . . . whether or not that’s good practice, well. . . let’s save that for another discussion, but this is what can happen in a confessional. In any case, there are only a few conditions needed for the confession to be vaild (see the link I provided) and that mainly deals with absolution.

Additionally, once you’re in confession, if you need the priest to assist you in making the confession, it’s ok to tell them that it’s been a while and you need a little help.

 

[Paul2274]

Here’s a great printable for you.

kofc.org/rc/en/publications/cis/devotional/GuideToConfession2075.pdf

Paul