Confession with a Bishop

[Convert2013]

Just wanted to share my experience at a men’s conference yesterday. Around the middle of the conference they of course had many priests available for confession. I think there were 14 priests and then the Bishop of our Diocese was there. First it was truly awesome to see so many men in the lines for confession. The longest of course was for Fr. Larry Richards. I would estimate out of the 400+ men there that almost all of them received the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

So I get in a line which started at the end of a hallway of offices where priests were located. Whenever a door opened and someone exited you could go in. I get to the front of the line and my turn was next. Not knowing who I would hear my confession as I walked the hallway I see I’m headed for the Bishop! Then I thought …yeah! I’m headed for confession with the Bishop.

I can see why he is the Bishop. In the confession he was truly in the person of Christ! I wish I could have him hear my confession every time. So often many of us are afraid of confession or have angst about it. I truly felt uplifted and freed after he absolved me. It was an amazing experience. Thanks be to God for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and for our Bishop!

 

[Brendan]

A similar thing happened to me at one of the Men’s Conferences in Detroit.

An announcement was made that the bishop requested that all priests in attendance spend at least one hour hearing confessions.

I was in line for confession, the room had dividers up, so you could not see who was in each confession ‘room’. I go in to one that had just opened up, and there was Cardinal Maida, doing exactly what he had asked his priests to do.

Another time was when I was picking my son up from a week of summer camp at an Archdiocesan camp. They have a chaplain there and daily Mass. I got up there a bit early, and went into the chapel for some Adoration time. Confessions were being heard. I go into the confessional and the chaplain for the week was one of our auxiliary bishops. It seems he spends a week there each summer saying Mass as ‘vacation’ time

 

[ClearWater]

I can’t ever remember confessing to a bishop.

 

[InLight247]

Years ago I had a chance to confess to a retired Bishop who visited our parish. I remember I brought up an old sin that still bothered me. The bishop told me never ever to confess it again and that settled it.