Do you church-hop for confession?

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UKcatholicGuy

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Do you go to different churches (Catholic, of course) for confession?

For instance, if you’re too embarassed to confess to your parish priest, do you go to a different priest?
 
Yes, I do.

Mainly because I like to see different churches, not because I’m ashamed. Nowadays, the only time you can be 100% sure a church is open is Sunday morning and Saturday afternoon. And since there are usually confessions going on at that time, I take advantage of the opportunity. 🙂
 
I have done that a number of times not because of embarrassment, but because it was convenient (like regularly scheduled weekday confession or a special scheduled confession time during Lent or Advent). In addition, I always go behind the screen for anonymity.

PF
 
Nowadays, the only time you can be 100% sure a church is open is Sunday morning and Saturday afternoon.
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Not in Pittsburgh, many of the churches are closed on Saturday afternoon as well (except for special occasions).

That is one of the things I miss about the old days, the fact that churches were almost always open to the people during the daylight hours. Now, except for the downtown churches, the cathedral, the monastery, most are locked down except during masses and other liturgical events.
 
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Kielbasi:
Not in Pittsburgh, many of the churches are closed on Saturday afternoon as well (except for special occasions).

That is one of the things I miss about the old days, the fact that churches were almost always open to the people during the daylight hours. Now, except for the downtown churches, the cathedral, the monastery, most are locked down except during masses and other liturgical events.
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up at 2 am and be able to drive to your local church to spend some time with Jesus in the tabernacle if you feel the need?

I can’t speak from personal experience about the “old days” but I’ve heard even in New York city the churches were unlocked at all hours.

Brave new world we live in. :nope:
 
Dr. Bombay:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up at 2 am and be able to drive to your local church to spend some time with Jesus in the tabernacle if you feel the need?
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You can do that at my parish, but only in the Adoration Chapel, which is open 24/7. It is locked at night, but there is always someone there to open the door for anyone who wants to come in.
 
…nope, i feel like a fish out of water going to a confessor that i don’t know, or worse yet, doesn’t know me…
 
Hey UK, try Georgetown 3:00 PM on Saturdays. Not too far to drive and he’s a good confessor. To answer your question, no I am glad he knows all my flaws. Face to face is fine with me.
 
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UKcatholicGuy:
Do you go to different churches (Catholic, of course) for confession?

For instance, if you’re too embarassed to confess to your parish priest, do you go to a different priest?
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Yes. I realize that the practice is frowned upon, but I am weak and do it anyway.

I also cower behind the screen.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
  • Liberian
 
i usually never go to confession in a parish where I am working because I am usually “on the clock” at that time, the lines are long, and I feel that time belongs to the parishioners. I visit a monastery once a month and confess to the priest there, who has been my regular confessor for about 5 years, an elderly saintly man who is perhaps the finest priest I have ever known, and certainly the best confessor bar none. I have made great spiritual progress in addressing the root cause of habitual sin through his guidance. when I am travelling I try to make pilgrimage stops to various shrines around the country and confess there if possible. Earlier in life it was common to priest-shop for a priest who would tell you ABC or other practice was okay. Immeasurable harm has been done, in my opinion, by this practice.
 
I never confess to my parish priest. The first time I did, I looked like an idiot. So, I’ve always been too embarressed to go back to him. Plus, I just know him too well. I’m just not comfortable confessing to him.

I like to go to a parish that I’ve never attended Mass at and confess anonymously-completely anonymously. In fact, most of the time I confess to a priest that I’ve never even seen before.

Scout :tiphat:
 
I use to “priest-shop” for the better part of 15 years. It all came crashing down on me a few weeks ago and not only did I come out from behind the screen, I found one priest that I’m going to work with long term. God got fed up with my antics to avoid detection of a long-standing problem that wasn’t getting fixed and my confession habits weren’t helping. With that, God yanked me by the arm and dragged me around the screen and said, “There is no anonymity before Me, nor will you have any before he who represents Me”. After two days of intense agony at what I felt he was asking me to do, I finally did it. I told Father that God wanted me to tell him I had been making a mockery of the Sacrament of Penance with my prideful antics and he wanted me to learn a lesson in humility. I told him 10 different ways I had disrespected the sacrament of Penance and how it led to 10 different ways of sinful reception of Holy Communion. While it was one of the hardest things I have ever done, I later learned that “Father knows best” because it aided me in finally breaking the awful mess I had gotten myself into over a 15 year period. It’s done!

It’s great incentive to know that if you continue to fall into the same pattern you can’t escape by running to a different priest. In the end, God knows and from him we cannot hide. I got schooled by God.

The best part is that I now recognize that there is nothing I can’t tell this man to his face now. I’ve done put the hardest thing I could have on the table between us and God Bless his compassionate soul for helping me.
 
I go to 2 different parishes for Confession. I went today at a parish that I used to attend regularly, but is not really convenient now that I live about 20 miles from it. I go out of my way to go there sometimes. I like the confessors there (as well as at my current parish) and they have a different time available from the parish I live near that I sometimes find convenient.

As I was leaving the church today after Confession, I heard a man of about 70 say to his wife, “People are going to Confession. I didn’t know people still did that”

I was glad that I was part of a witness on behalf of this most beautiful and necessary sacrament, but at the same time sad for him and others who don’t understand that it is not just some empty one dimensional set of rules or steps that we take in order to receive forgiveness for our sins. Not by far. I thank God for the gift of Confession.

Anyway…yes I go to two different parishes, but don’t church-hop.
 
Yep I do. I’ve never confessed to any of my friends, and am more comfortable with a confessor in Detroit.
 
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