Do you prefer Confessing face to face or through a private confessional grid/screen?

[Tis_Bearself]

Once I had to ask a priest (a couple of days later) about what he had said to me during confession as it didn’t make any sense to me. He didn’t remember anymore than that I had been to confession recently.

I’ve often read that they generally do not remember what is said in Confession. I think that’s a blessing. One doesn’t have to worry that the priest is going to remember and be thinking of your sins the next time he greets you on the street.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I think it’s helpful to build a strong sense of contrition and to grow in humility and to be more confident in Our Lord’s mercy

This is fine as long as you realize that it is helpful TO YOU personally. Some people, such as myself, find the screen to be more helpful in this regard.

Some of us are shy and have difficulty looking others in the face during normal conversations, much less when the topic is “My Awful Sins”. Some of us have had negative experiences in confession years ago and have difficulty going. Some of us see the screen as a reminder that we are speaking with Jesus through the priest, not simply having a chat with a priest as we would sitting in an armchair in the rectory.

The Church allows two methods so that people can have the option of choosing what works for them.

Personally, when I returned to confession after a long absence, a dark little confessional with a screen and a totally anonymous priest who I will never see again is just what I needed. It was over in less than 10 minutes, badda bing, badda boom, welcome back to the Church. I sure didn’t want to have a conversation at that point, I was concentrating on doing what I had to do before anxiety attack set in.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

I prefer face-to-face for many reasons.

I cannot kneel and this is one of two reasons I do not like using a screened confessional - I have to awkwardly step on the kneeler with enough force to activate the indicator light above the confessional door. The second reason I don’t like enclosed, screened confessionals is because they are dark and I write out my confessions -and- don’t have the Act of Contrition memorized so I have to use my flashlight to read.

Eh, doesn’t happen often that I’m not given a choice.

 

[gabrielcannizzo]

Come to think of it! Here at the Society of Jesus Church the Confessionals are very sophisticated pieces of liturgical furnishing attached to the walls, they’re quite antique, so you can kneel on one of the sides and go behind the screen, on each side and in every confessional there’s a Profession Crucifix above the screen, I think it’s a fine detail, to be reminded of the sacrifice Our Lord Jesus accepted for our salvation. I haven’t seen many people kneeling and going behind the screen, in fact, in three years I’ve only seen it once, instead, everyone kneels before the priest (so do I) while confessing face to face.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

instead, everyone kneels before the priest (so do I) while confessing face to face.

This must be a cultural thing. In the USA when you go face to face, you do not kneel. You always just go around the screen and sit in a chair. Have never seen anyone kneeling before the priest face to face since they started face-to-face confession in the 1970s.

Sometimes for large penance services they will just have priests sitting in pews or chairs all over some part of the church at some distance from each other and then you just go sit next to him.

Also, in the newer churches built after Vatican II, there are no “confessionals” - instead there are just rooms with doors containing a glass panel that look like offices, and they contain a kneeler and screen for those who want it and a chair facing the priest for those who want face to face. You just go in the room and it is generally brightly lit, again like an office, so no issues with having to read in the dark. There is also no light that comes on since everyone can see through the closed door whether a person is inside and in addition we show that it is vacant by leaving the door open when we exit.

 

[Spyridon]

The second reason I don’t like enclosed, screened confessionals is because they are dark and I write out my confessions -and- don’t have the Act of Contrition memorized so I have to use my flashlight to read.

Do what I do - use your phones memo pad to type out your Confession and the Act of Contrition, then read from that.

If you have a smartphone that doesn’t have a built in memo app, go to the app store and search “memo pad.”

Here’s what mine looks like:

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[brian_custer]

i’ve gotten so “used to” the full “sit-down, have a chat, face-to-face confessional” that it doesn’t bother me anymore

i know plenty of people who simply won’t do that and haven’t been to confession in decades

but if i were to’ve been 100% honest (like i am in the confessional ) i am going to have had to have said, i prefer “the screen”

just my two cents

 

[Spyridon]

You always just go around the screen and sit in a chair. Have never seen anyone kneeling before the priest face to face since they started face-to-face confession in the 1970s.

I do.

When I do face to face with a local Priest I know, I always kneel down and face a crucifix while he stands next to me and hears my confession.

Traditionally though in the East, confession looks like this:

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Or this:

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[brian_custer]

no kneelers in the “face-to-face” confession in my parish; you sit down, say the act of contrition & start your “chat” withe priest

i know where traditional, old school confession is available in my area, i go there when ican

 

[Tis_Bearself]

That’s interesting ,but if he’s standing next to you rather than in front of you, and you’re kneeling, it seems like the conversational aspect is lost, which is what most people seem to be trying to get by going face to face.

 

[Spyridon]

Did you see the pictures I posted?

I like this Eastern method of doing it:

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[brian_custer]

i think i would like that method

sort of a “best of both” combination

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I fear in today’s environment, the covering of the person’s head and the posture would be taken wrong by people who lack understanding of the spiritual tradition driving it.

It seems like over the last few decades there has been an effort to “demystify” confession in the RC church, or bring it down to earth, in order to perhaps get more people to go. I think that effort worked very well for some people and not so well for others.

 

[Spyridon]

Yeah, the Greek tradition of kneeling would be.

But the Slavic tradition uses the epitrachelion (stole) over the head while standing, which would avoid that potential confusion.

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[Spyridon]

Just look at this image.

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Heavenly.

 

[brian_custer]

yes, i like that…

 

[Spyridon]

The East is where the whole “face to face” idea is from, I believe.

I’ve noticed that in the post-VII days, a lot of traditions which have become normal in the Roman Rite are actually from the East - standing for communion and face to face confession being two obvious ones.

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[brian_custer]

interesting… never thought of that

 

[babochka]

Traditionally though in the East, confession looks like this:

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Or this:

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Thank you for these beautiful pictures. When I say that I greatly prefer face-to-face confession, I am thinking of confession in the east, which is what I experience the vast majority of the time. When somebody reduces this beautiful and personal confession form to “having a little chat with the priest” or “a counseling session,” I get a bit put off. These images will hopefully help others understand. The moment when the priest places his stole on my head and prays over me is profound.

 

[tafan2]

I always use a screen–even if it’s just my left hand.

When you are the penitent or the confessor?
Fr. David, is my understanding correct that the priest does not have to provide the option for face-to-face. He can choose to only hear confession behind a screen?