Do priests know or care who is confessing?

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tstadheim

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This won’t change the frequency or nature of my confessions, but is something I wonder about: I go to confession fairly frequently (once a week during Lent, typically every other week outside Lent). I go to the two priests at our smallish FSSP parish, and I am pretty active in the parish and talk to them frequently outside confession. How likely is it that they know or care whether it is me making a confession, and in general do they know or care who is confessing?
 
If you’re behind the screen, I generally won’t know who you are. Even if I do know, I act as though I don’t, out of respect for your desire for anonymity. Whether behind the screen or not, I don’t care, I’m just happy to hear your confession. And I don’t remember hardly any of the confessions I’ve heard.

Don’t overthink it. Just go.

-Fr ACEGC
 
They know. Personally I find it better to go to a parish where I don’t regularly interact with the priest.
 
My guess is they don’t care as long as your confessing and are sincere, especially if you have any potential serious sin on your conscience 😉

it seems like a minimum of once a year is the general rule although going a bit more often than that is probably a good idea. but, in my opinion, I think going more than once a month is probably a bit too often unless your really struggling with a serious sin.

but as far as whether they know who you are… my guess it is boils down to how familiar they are with your voice.
 
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They might know, if they interacted with you a lot and recognize your voice, or if it’s one of those places where the screen isn’t super opaque.

I doubt they care.

Apparently a lot of people have this concern, as I’ve seen visiting priests who are just here for 1-2 days announce that if anyone has any concerns about their parish priest hearing some sin they did, then “Father Visitor” will be hearing confessions for an hour after Mass and they should take advantage of the opportunity to confess to a priest who doesn’t know them and is leaving the next day.
 
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MAS79 said:
in my opinion, I think going more than once a month is probably a bit too often unless your really struggling with a serious sin.
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Some of us do devotional practices that require confession more frequently, such as twice a month or even once a week. Once a week used to be the norm in the pre-Vatican II days and I suspect there are still traditionalists who follow that.
 
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If you know the priest well,then he probably knows. But,I bet he’s happy to hear your confession. If you are behind the screen and the priest knows you he won’t say anything out of respect.
 
Priests, especially those in FSSP parishes, hear a lot of confessions. In the FSSP parish in my town, confessions are regularly scheduled over 12 hours each week and the priests very often hear confessions during other times. Even if they recognize your voice and other aspects of your personality, which seems very likely to me, I have been told by a number of priests that they simply don’t remember what has been said by any individual.

I almost always go face-to-face to a priest that I know, except if I am going to the FSSP parish. Even then, my preference is to confess to a priest that I know, usually by appointment in his office. But, if I happen to be there during regular confession times, I’ll go behind the screen. If he knows me, he knows me.
 
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Don’t stress. Confess! Keep it simple, as the Lord is the Father of simplicity in all of its beauty. Simplicity makes things crystal clear, as God desires.

Ever hear “The devil is in the details”? When we needlessly complicate things, we give a foothold to the evil one, as he is the master of complication.

Try not to complicate it.
 
Since returning to the sacraments I go to confession by appointment, weekly, to the same FSSP priest. Now, he heard my “big” returning to church confession, and he always knows it’s me each time. He doesn’t treat me any different, if anything his advice is more pointed and personal since he knows who I am. Don’t stress it too much. I’ve never met a priest who wasn’t compassionate in the confessional, and I highly doubt they are in there entertaining personal judgements. If anything, they are happy to be helping us grow closer to God.
 
I think having a regular confessor who knows you and your struggles is a good thing.
As long as I go to Confession behind a screen it doesn´t bother me TOO much. It still isn´t comfortable, but it´s okay.

Both the priest and I leave my sins in Confession, so there´s really nothing to worry about. Personally, I find it harder to leave the things said in Confession in Confession if it has either been especially emotional, certainly embarrassing sins or if it´s been face to face - but that´s me 🙂

I´ve also tried going to Confession with an appointment. It´s not my favorite way of going, but it´s better than I thought. While having an appointment, you make sure that you will actually end up going, haha - because you really shouldn´t make up an false excuse of not going to Confession lol. At the same time - then I know it´ll actually happen haha & if it´s with a good priest it won´t be too awkward either way.

I remember this one Confession, about six weeks ago, when I cried because of something that happened to me. The priest even asked if I could use some help… but at the time, I didn´t see how he could possibly make anything better… (even though I probably should have taken up on the offer). I remembered feeling a little awkward seeing him in church later on during that weekend, but of course it was all okay.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
Apparently a lot of people have this concern, as I’ve seen visiting priests who are just here for 1-2 days announce that if anyone has any concerns about their parish priest hearing some sin they did, then “Father Visitor” will be hearing confessions for an hour after Mass and they should take advantage of the opportunity to confess to a priest who doesn’t know them and is leaving the next day.
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This is interesting. I wish they’d do this at a parish I attend. Does this type of thing happen often in parishes? They so rarely say one word about confession at one of the parishes I attend.

FYI…nice pic…I was briefly looking for the black spot…but Bear changed it…😎
 
It was black because I was in my den. It is now spring, I have come out of my den with my Irish flag. (Though I mostly cut the Orange stripey part out of the picture 😁)

I understand Polar bears originated on some glacier near where Ireland is now.
 
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To my poor old eyes I thought your bear was flying the flag of Italy.

In the homily tonight, father was speaking about Confession, and the importance of putting fear and embarrassment aside, and just getting it done. He suggested even going to another parish, as there are a couple of them nearby, if that’s what it takes.

Personally I prefer seeing my regular confessor, either behind the screen or face to face, but I have gone to an adjacent parish in an emergency.
 
My priest knows it me confessing, and I think all that matters to him is that I’m a true penitent.
 
Most priests I have seen for regular confession get to know me. Sometimes that is good. Sometimes that is bad. Currently it is bad. But that will change soon as He is being reassigned.
 
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