Confessional screen - anonymity?

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The parish I am a member of has a room off the vestibule where the priest sits in one of two chairs, which makes it easy for face-to-face confession. There is a prie-dieu behind him and behind a cloth, BUT the priest is sitting in profile TO THE DOOR. He can see you come in anyway.

The (much more traditional) church where I occasionally attend the TLM and where I usually confess, has freestanding confessionals, one on each side of the church. While it is quite dimly lit, and neither the priest nor I can see each other through the tight slats, he is not completely “walled off” from the penitent’s side of the confessional. He is behind a half-wall (that is, it goes to the ceiling but does not go wall-to-wall) and, if he chose, could watch who was coming in, although I don’t think he does.

I’m sure he eventually got used to my voice, but since I am not a regular parishioner there, and because I do tend to sort of sidle in so I’m not making eye contact, I feel OK about it.

I do feel better confessing somewhere where my voice and even perhaps my face are known, but I am not known well… I’m quite shy and it’s been hard to go to confession at my parish, although I have. Anonymity might not be the reason for the screens, but they help. And it IS easier, I find, to do a traditional confession, both in terms of the structure and of not having to look into someone’s face. At least that’s true for this shy person! (I’m not generally shy once I know someone, but there are things – like confession – I think I’d always be shy about!)

Francesca
 
At my parish, the screen just gives a sense of security. The priests can see directly through and so can the penitent. However, they always look directly ahead and don’t attempt to see who is on the other side. I think they can probably recognize my voice as much as I talk to them outside of the confessional. The priests probably think much about who is on the other side of the screen.
 
AJV said:
People say that confession behind a screen ensures anonymity. My experience has been limited - only 4 different confessionals - but in each case (save one, where there was a purple cloth) the priest could see the penitent’s (my) face, through the screen if he so chose. It was only *slightly *obscured, but not enough so as to ensure anonymity - unless, of course, he looked down or straight ahead which two of the priests did.

Has anyone been to confession behind a screen where the screen was latticed enough to prevent recognition by a priest?
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Yes, many, in many different places. Some had a thin cloth “curtain” on the penitent’s side, that you could not possibly see thru.
 
My church has a room for the priest, and one for the person confessing. There is a double lattice between them. You can’t see each other.
 
I am amazed at the number of “confessionals” that apparently lack anonymity. Our confessionals were redesigned some years back during a church renovation to provide complete separation of priest and penitent, who can hear but not see each other.

Maybe that’s why our confession lines are longer.
 
At my church there are 3 doors to the confessional. The center door is for the priest. The penitents use the 2 side doors. The screen is such that one cannot really distinguish the priest’s face. I am assuming that he cannot see ours either.
 
lizaanne said:
Oh yes!!! The parish we went to last weekend (a very conservative parish I might add) has just completely re-built their Church. The confessional rooms are fairly large singular rooms with either a chair in front of the priest, or a kneeler with a VERY flimsy “screen” between you and the priest to his side. The screen has a couple thicknesses of black fabric that you can see very clearly right through. The priest sits facing forward, with his ear toward the screen, but all he has to do is glance to his left and he can see exactly who is at the kneeler. I can see him with no problems, I’m sure it works both ways, the lighting is the same on both sides.

For such a nicely re-built Church, I’m really very disappointed about the confession set up there - the old design had traditional confessionals where you were in separate compartments with the wall between you, and only the kneeler, and a truly transparent screen. I guess they are trying to be more ADA accessible, as well as offering the face to face option which was no possible with the old style confessionals. Oh - and the doors also have a small clear glass panel in them as well so you can see inside. It’s all a bit weird to me.

Still - they really need to fix the whole transparent screen thing - it really is very unnerving.

~Liza
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won’t the priest see you walk in if it allows face to face confessions? what’s the point in kneeling behind the screen?
 
mercygate said:
Back when I was an Episcopalian, I had to make a REALLY difficult confession. Brrrrr. Still shiver just remembering it. Although it was “by appointment”, the confessional was a traditional “box” with a screen. You could kind of see through it, but there was a crucifix right above the grille. I made that confession TO the crucifix.

Man. It was hard but that was a GOOD confession.
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Had to make a confession? I thought the rule with Episcopalians and confession to a priest was ‘all may, some should, none must’.
 
LilyM said:
Had to make a confession? I thought the rule with Episcopalians and confession to a priest was ‘all may, some should, none must’.
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Yes. You are right. “All may, some should, none must” is the general principle.

But many (well, maybe not MANY – but a fair number of) Episcopalians come to the Sacrament of Confession with exactly the same intent, theology, and discipline as Catholics. I’m not getting into the issue of validity of Orders, etc. here but suffice it to say that as an Episcopalian, I lived a life that was more “catholic” in form and discipline than 80% of the people sitting in my Catholic parish today.

So, yes: I HAD to make that confession. I had a serious sin on my conscience, and the Lord had me by the nape of the neck, shoving me into that confessional.
 
Joan_M said:
Not being able to see each other alows anonymity only when the priest and the penitent do not know each other.

After all, we must speak to each other - the penitent to confess and the priest to give advice and to absolve. If you go to confession regularly to the same priest, you are bound to get to know his voice and he yours. If you also know each other outside the confessional, well - it’s clear that if you recognize him by his voice, he will also recognize you by yours.
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That’s why I bring a helium balloon in with me. Our priest thinks we have some mighty sinful squirrels in the parish.
 
Walking_Home said:
At my church there are 3 doors to the confessional. The center door is for the priest. The penitents use the 2 side doors. The screen is such that one cannot really distinguish the priest’s face. I am assuming that he cannot see ours either.
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Usually with this arrangement the priests “room” has a little light and the side rooms are dark, which makes i impossible to see into the dark space from the lighted one.
 
Our parish uses the original 1920 three-door confessionals, except that the upper half of one interior wall has been removed to create a face-to-face side. The traditional side has the original metal grille covered by a white cloth, and since the reading light on the priest’s side is brighter, he cannot see anything through the cloth. Also, the red indicators over each penitent door are wired to come on simultaneously regardless of which side you choose to prevent someone from entering the other side (the priest’s door has a green light over it).
 
My church has confessionals but I have unfortunately never been in one. Our priest just sits in a room with a chair directly opposite him so it is face to face. I’m sure it is possible to request a confessional but then we would both have to leave the room, go past the line of people waiting and into a confessional. I have done face to face but would much prefer a confessional with at least some semblance of anonymity.

I have considered going to another parish for confession but I don’t know what their set up is and feel a bit dumb to call and ask if it is face to face.

Any suggestions? I would probably go much more often if I had a confessional rather than face to face.

Amie
 
BeluvdLily said:
My church has confessionals but I have unfortunately never been in one. Our priest just sits in a room with a chair directly opposite him so it is face to face. I’m sure it is possible to request a confessional but then we would both have to leave the room, go past the line of people waiting and into a confessional. I have done face to face but would much prefer a confessional with at least some semblance of anonymity.

I have considered going to another parish for confession but I don’t know what their set up is and feel a bit dumb to call and ask if it is face to face.

Any suggestions? I would probably go much more often if I had a confessional rather than face to face.

Amie
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Send him a copy of the canon that REQUIRES churches to provide a place where penitents may be anonymous.
 
BeluvdLily said:
My church has confessionals but I have unfortunately never been in one. Our priest just sits in a room with a chair directly opposite him so it is face to face. I’m sure it is possible to request a confessional but then we would both have to leave the room, go past the line of people waiting and into a confessional. I have done face to face but would much prefer a confessional with at least some semblance of anonymity.

I have considered going to another parish for confession but I don’t know what their set up is and feel a bit dumb to call and ask if it is face to face.

Any suggestions? I would probably go much more often if I had a confessional rather than face to face.

Amie
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Maybe you could take some time on a Saturday and go around to visit various near-by churches, to see what their Confessional set-up is.
 
mercygate said:
Send him a copy of the canon that REQUIRES churches to provide a place where penitents may be anonymous.
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While a confessional with a fixed grille is canonically required, no specific mention is made of anonymity.

tee
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
Usually with this arrangement the priests “room” has a little light and the side rooms are dark, which makes i impossible to see into the dark space from the lighted one.
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Our parish also has the traditional confessional with the priest in the middle room and a room for a penitent on each side, but it is modern and well lit. Even being well lit, you can not see the priest through the grille nor can he see you.
 
In all the confessionals I have ever been in that had a grille, I have never seen the priest look in my direction, He has leaned over to listen, but always kept his eyes forward and down. With the exception of one, they’ve been generally dark.

The one exception was at Holy Cross, Toronto. The confessional has a window in it, but the penitent is lit from behind. So that would tend to enhance anonymity, IMO. And again, the priest never once looked in my direction.

“Reconciliation Rooms” are another thing entirely. Don’t like 'em. 😦
 
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