For Catholic Priests/Orthodox Priests: How do you overcome hearing confession from your family?

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I have a question for priests. As a Catholic man discerning priesthood. How do you overcome hearing Confession from your own families?
 
Mannyfit75 said:
I have a question for priests. As a Catholic man discerning priesthood. How do you overcome hearing Confession from your own families?
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In general, a Catholic Priest would not hear his own family’s confession unless it was a true emergency. My brother-in-law is a priest and does not hear confession from his close family.

This is why the Church will not assign a priest to his home parish.

May God Bless you in your discernment.
 
My priest husband and I were told in Orthodox seminary that he was forbidden to hear my confession. Now that we’re Catholic, my confessor said that he doesn’t know of any rules on the subject, but that there could be a moral impediment, so it’s not a good idea for a husband to be his own wife’s confessor.

Father DH used to hear DD’s confession when she was very small, but now that she’s a teen, she and he prefer that she go elsewhere for confession.

When the family was in an Orthodox parish in the stix, we were hours away from the nearest priest, so we made the drive as a family periodically or waited until a priest friend came to visit, or waited until the next convention.
 
When a priest hears the confession of family or close personal friends, he has to keep in mind that he’s acting in the person of Christ, not as “uncle, son, brother, cousin, or good buddy.”

Fr. Joe
 
Titus said:
Really? They never assign priests to their home parish?
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I wouldn’t say never. But it would extremely awkward, especially now that many parishes have only 1 priest. He would have to hear his parents confessions, etc. Also, there could be hard feelings if the “hometown boy, made good” was later transfered.

I don’t know why a diocese would ever do so.
 
Fr.Joe said:
When a priest hears the confession of family or close personal friends, he has to keep in mind that he’s acting in the person of Christ, not as “uncle, son, brother, cousin, or good buddy.”

Fr. Joe
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Is it difficult to keep that distinction in mind? I would think that it would be a hard thing to do. How would you hear the confession of your best fishing buddy, for example, and then be able to just relax together? Especially if your buddy had something pretty significant to confess.
 
rr1213 said:
Is it difficult to keep that distinction in mind? I would think that it would be a hard thing to do. How would you hear the confession of your best fishing buddy, for example, and then be able to just relax together? Especially if your buddy had something pretty significant to confess.
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During Confession, Jesus forgives your sins once the priest says, “…I absolve you from all your sins, In the Name of the Father, And of the Son, and Of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

The priest is only Jesus’ instrument.
 
rr1213 said:
Is it difficult to keep that distinction in mind? I would think that it would be a hard thing to do. How would you hear the confession of your best fishing buddy, for example, and then be able to just relax together? Especially if your buddy had something pretty significant to confess.
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You know, it really isn’t hard to do. The Lord gives us the grace to simply shift gears in those times. I’ve heard quite a few “lake-side” confessions over the years. It’s just great to be an instrument of mercy for the Lord.

Fr. Joe
 
Fr.Joe said:
You know, it really isn’t hard to do. The Lord gives us the grace to simply shift gears in those times. I’ve heard quite a few “lake-side” confessions over the years. It’s just great to be an instrument of mercy for the Lord.

Fr. Joe
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Interesting. Thanks for the insight.
 
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