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Lisa44
Guest
Hi,
I’m confused. What do you mean?
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I’m confused. What do you mean?
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guanophore
Guest
The Byzantine parish I attend is small, but I rarely ever see someone attend Divine Liturgy and fail to receive communion. Confessions are heard both before, and after Liturgy by the priest.
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Lisa44
Guest
Nice pictures Volodymyr
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GodIsGracious
Guest
I’m trying to understand what you’re saying. Do you mean that a confessional is usually a “dark little room” without anything in it?
I don’t know what it is like for Eastern Rite churches, but I do know that in Latin Rite, the confessional is far from being dark. Infact, sometimes I find it too well lit.
The only time I have seen a “dark confessional” is in the movies. Also, there is always a crucifix in there.
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RoGca
Guest
What makes you fill nervous when you go to confession? Do you change the priests very often?
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Daedelus76
Guest
I have a friend online that is Orthodox (Orthodox Church of America), and he was talking about confession in his church, so I think I understand how that works. However, when I visited an Antiochian church, I saw people lining up before receiving the Eucharist, and they would whisper something under the priests stole and be blessed/absolved (it wasn’t clear what was happening.) Also, they don’t distinguish between mortal/venial sins, nor is it important the number of times you sinned, etc.
I’ve also heard some Orthodox go to somebody else other than a priest to confess (as long as they were given that authority by a bishop), then they are absolved at the Divine Liturgy? Anybody can hear the confession, but only the priest absolves. Perhaps that is what I was seeing? I’m not sure.
In the Anglican church, the traditionalists have a general confession and the priest absolves the whole congregation The more Anglo-Catholic encourage private confession as a therapeutic rather than legal matter (and like the orthodox there is no distinction between mortal/venial sins). The whole tone of the traditional BCP mass is penitential, though… The emphasis in Anglicanism, like in the East, has been more therapeutic than forensic or legal, especially emphasized is having a clean conscience. ( And of course the saying on private confession is “All can, some should, none must”). In Episcopalian churches I have been to, general confession is rare. At most there is one prayer during the collects, it’s very brief. IMO, it is inadequate.
C.S. Lewis went to a confessor a few times a month and it was something he recommended, though he didn’t talk about it all that much in his more popular books. It’s something I have thought about doing, regardless if I continue to be Anglican or become Orthodox… or even gasp Roman Catholic. I think confession in a confessional booth would work better, but alot of Anglicans don’t do that (honestly, I don’t have that many sins I’d confess… but it’s important to do I’m sure.) At the congregation I go to, it doesn’t seem to be very common and they definitely have said they’d prefer you make an appointment with a priest- my feeling is few people do this unless they have done something quite bad. I’d hate to come across as religiously scrupulous. I think I need to e-mail a priest and discuss it with him.
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RoGca
Guest
I agree and don’t agree with you.
I agree that it is easier to go to a roman-catholic parish for confession because the priest doesn’t know you. But if he doesn’t know you, how well he can help you to open your soul to God?
If you look at the confession as something where you go and repeat some sins from a list yes, you can go anywhere.
But the advantage to go to a priest that knows you is that he can help you identifying your strengths and weakness, and then work with you to correct what is bad.
Also, some people need motivation (why to do it) from a priest during the confession, while others need directions (how to do it). It is easier to get what you need from a priest during the confession if he knows you.
But why wouldn’t you go to a priest that knows you for a confession?
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wjp984
Guest
The churches that did have them have since got rid of them as part of the deLatinization process. I know the parish I went to with my family when I was young had them.
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thunderballs75
Guest
LOL You think Latin Rite Catholics go to confession more than Eastern Catholics? That’s a good one! 
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wjp984
Guest
And I will agree with you that there are advantages to going to a priest that you know for Confession; I have done so myself on several occasions when it was convenient now that I think about it. However, without a Confessional, such as in the East, does that not mean that everyone can hear your Confession or see that you are in a Confession? I have a loud voice even when I try to be soft so that is a huge concern of mine.I agree and don’t agree with you.
I agree that it is easier to go to a roman-catholic parish for confession because the priest doesn’t know you. But if he doesn’t know you, how well he can help you to open your soul to God?
If you look at the confession as something where you go and repeat some sins from a list yes, you can go anywhere.
But the advantage to go to a priest that knows you is that he can help you identifying your strengths and weakness, and then work with you to correct what is bad.
Also, some people need motivation (why to do it) from a priest during the confession, while others need directions (how to do it). It is easier to get what you need from a priest during the confession if he knows you.
But why wouldn’t you go to a priest that knows you for a confession?
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RoGca
Guest
I am a romanian greek-catholic priest and I was listening to confessions in confessional as well as outside, so I understand your concern.
I know many eastern catholics that prefer the confessionals. But I know MANYYY roman-catholics that like to confess face to face with the priest for multiple reasons: they can open their souls better, the priest can put his hands on their head, etc.
If your voice is too loud, you can tell that to the priest and more further away from the line or confess in another place.
There are many ways to work that out if that is a concern for you.
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wjp984
Guest
Sometimes the priest is the one who can likewise be loud. Usually, the confesional is an isolated enough area where one’s voice will not travel outside. Also, generally people wait far enough away from the Confessional out of courtesy to avoid this problem. I have no problem with a face to face Confession; I have a problem when there is not an isolated place such as a Confessional.
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LilyM
Guest
Yeah - love the one of the priest with the little girl. But I think when I was a child I might’ve felt a bit intimidated confessing with the priest standing right next to me like that. It’s all to do with what you’re used to I guess.Nice pictures Volodymyr
And most Latin confessionals DO have a crucifix prominently displayed for the penitent to look at.
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BabaMary
Guest
Like so many things, I don’t think we can make blanket generalizations. In Eastern Catholic churches I know of, most still have confessionals. Churches back in the “old country” might not (I don’t know, but I would guess not, as that is more a modern Western innovation); in that case, confession is made to a priest usually near the front of the church (before the icon screen).
As to frequency, don’t you think that has a lot more to do with how you were raised and if you had a priest or religious teacher who emphasized it? It is considered an obligation to ALWAYS make a good confession before Easter (i.e., sometime during Lent), but in our parish, some people (again, I believe that is the way they were taught/raised) make weekly confessions, while others no doubt don’t even do the obligatory yearly confession.
As it is permissible to receive Communion if not in mortal sin, I would hope most people would receive the graces of the sacrament, even if their parish does not make confession readily available (of course, making a sincere Act of Confession before Communion and not letting too long go between Confessions). Some might say if you feel the need for weekly or even more frequent confession, you might be overly scrupulous. I am not judging, but again, I think your upbringing informs how you would feel.
As far as frequency of Communion, I think that it is more likely that if one is not “worthy” to receive, people do not go to Communion (as a catechist, I am aware of this, for some parents of my students seem to never receive Communion - and I would also assume they have good reasons not to, although as a teacher, I would have hoped the parents would try to set a good example to their children and rectify whatever “the problem” is.). When I was much younger, there would be parishes we visited where almost no one went to Communion, except maybe on major holidays. This was extremely perplexing then as now; would you attend as an invited guest at a “wedding feast” but not come prepared to partake fully? (Remember the parable of the wedding feast?) Over the last 30-40 years, more people do come forward to receive the Eucharist, but then again, many of the parishes I attend have large elderly populations (yeah, and their children and grandchildren don’t often come to church at all). So in those cases, the passions and vices of younger people may have mellowed to the extent there would be little reason to avoid receiving the Eucharist. That might be why we now have more who come forward at communion time.
As to frequency, don’t you think that has a lot more to do with how you were raised and if you had a priest or religious teacher who emphasized it? It is considered an obligation to ALWAYS make a good confession before Easter (i.e., sometime during Lent), but in our parish, some people (again, I believe that is the way they were taught/raised) make weekly confessions, while others no doubt don’t even do the obligatory yearly confession.
As it is permissible to receive Communion if not in mortal sin, I would hope most people would receive the graces of the sacrament, even if their parish does not make confession readily available (of course, making a sincere Act of Confession before Communion and not letting too long go between Confessions). Some might say if you feel the need for weekly or even more frequent confession, you might be overly scrupulous. I am not judging, but again, I think your upbringing informs how you would feel.
As far as frequency of Communion, I think that it is more likely that if one is not “worthy” to receive, people do not go to Communion (as a catechist, I am aware of this, for some parents of my students seem to never receive Communion - and I would also assume they have good reasons not to, although as a teacher, I would have hoped the parents would try to set a good example to their children and rectify whatever “the problem” is.). When I was much younger, there would be parishes we visited where almost no one went to Communion, except maybe on major holidays. This was extremely perplexing then as now; would you attend as an invited guest at a “wedding feast” but not come prepared to partake fully? (Remember the parable of the wedding feast?) Over the last 30-40 years, more people do come forward to receive the Eucharist, but then again, many of the parishes I attend have large elderly populations (yeah, and their children and grandchildren don’t often come to church at all). So in those cases, the passions and vices of younger people may have mellowed to the extent there would be little reason to avoid receiving the Eucharist. That might be why we now have more who come forward at communion time.
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