Going to Confession......

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lorrie
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lorrie

Guest
Ever since I was confirmed in the Church this past Easter I have always gone to confession with my parish priest. Going to someone I know seems to make me feel more accountable.

Do you tend to go to confession with someone you know or do you prefer to go to someone you don’t know?
 
either - but I usually go to my home parish where the priests know who I am.

I guess I just feel that confession was not really meant to nurture my comfort level so whatever I need to do to get there is my responsibility.
 
I go to confession a half hour early and go to the first priest available as we have four. Thus I can’t answer your poll. And some of our Priest’s rotate yearly and its a large parish I don’t think they will know who I am. My wife likes to go to a different parish.
 
…going to the priest that knows you is a good shot to the pride issue… i think it is healthiest of all…

imho

Peace:thumbsup:
 
Lorrie, having had the experience, in my life of two outstanding Confessors I have to say that going to confession to someone who knows you can be highly beneficial. If the opportunity is such and you feel confident you may even ask one of these priest to be your regular confessor.

One of my confessors was a teacher I had in high school. It was a small junior seminary that was a boarding school, so this priest knew me not only as a student, but me spiritually in the confessional (actually many times my confessions were done during walks) so I great benefit of someone who knew me pretty well as a person - in a confessional it’s amazing what spiritual insight can be expressed by a cough when I was trying to equivocate a sin here and there.

But back to the topic, yes I think going to a priest you know and trust can be a great spiritual benefit.
 
I prefer going to those priests who know me. There’s stuff I’ve struggled with for a long time and people who know my background and situation are usually better at advising me than others who can only offer general advice. However, I have no problem going to priests I don’t know, I just don’t prefer to.
 
As Space Ghost said, yes, its definitely a shot to the pride issue.
 
I go to whichever priest happens to be hearing confessions before the weekday evening Mass.
 
I go to confession on a weekday morning EARLY in the morning. I try to go every week. There is no variety-pack, as we have one priest. When he goes on vacation or retreat, if there is no innovation by the visiting priest, I give the visiting priest a shot. They are all there in the place of Jesus.

I had a rough way to go with this old priest from a local abbey at the appointed confession time, when our priest had a really bad case of the flu. He honestly asked, “You mean you want to go to confession NOW?” He seemed to think he was going to catch some extra zzzz-s in the reconciliation room. Once he realized that people did come to confession in our parish, he did a decent job.

Then last month, the visiting priest got locked out of the confessionals and reconciliation room. He had to block off an area and sit out in the open. Not too many takers that day. He did have the keys by the following week.
 
I like going to a priest I don’t know. If I want to discuss other spiritual issues, I can always make an appointment with the pastor.
 
I go to whoever’s there. Whether I know him or not. I’m more comfortable with priests I don’t know but I try not to make that a factor. Yesterday I went to our new priest, the young one just ordained in June and had a really awesome experience with the sacrament, he gave great advice, gave me lots to think about. (and a decade of the rosary for penance…no 2 Hail Mary’s and a Glory Be here 🙂 ) So I might start going to him more regularly, if possible. Not sure yet.
 
I have a regular confessor and try to go to confession weekly - however with the summer, there have been several two-week spans!

There have also been several times when he has been out of town. In fact, the last two weeks, there has been someone else in his confessional, as he was unavailable for some reason.

There’s nameplates above the confessionals for our priests, and if someone else is there, there’s a Visitor plate or the other priest’s nameplate.

I have a fascinating reaction when I see it is not my regular confessor - I suddenly feel like it won’t be the same - he doesn’t know me, how will he be able to counsel me??!!

Well - I have experienced the amazing fact that no matter who that priest is - it is Christ sitting there listening to me - because whether he knows me personally or not - I get awesome counsel!

Thank You Jesus!
 
I went to confession last week for the first time in waaay too long. I went to my parish priest and did it face to face. I found going to someone I know makes the whole thing more nerve racking, but better at the same time. Ditto for confessing face to face; I’ve never done otherwise and I can’t imagine not doing it face to face. Like others have said, you have to put aside your pride to go to a priest you know, and for me that’s a good thing.
 
40.png
Fizendell:
Well - I have experienced the amazing fact that no matter who that priest is - it is Christ sitting there listening to me - because whether he knows me personally or not - I get awesome counsel!
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I experienced. I figure in 30 years of being a priest, he’s probably heard it all, but at one point while my priest was talking I just knew it was God talking through him. Fr. knew exactly what I was talking about, and said the right things to admonish me and help me at the same time.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top