If you confess face to face, my hat's off to you!

[dachsiemom]

I came back to church after a 20 year absence and made an appointment for confession - face to face. My last confession had been over 20 years. Previously I had always went behind the screen - and I never went to confession much to begin with. Father could not have been kinder and I left wondering why I was so anxious. I have been to confession once since and need to go again. Even though the face to face confession was a good experience, I went behind the screen.

 

[pyro_alchemist]

Have been Catholic for 20 years and have only gone to confession behind a screen once, a couple months ago. Didn’t like it because I couldn’t hear the priest. Guess I am a veteran of too many rock concerts in the 70’s. I have been reading lips for years and didn’t realize it until I tried to communicate through a screen.

 

[Debra_C]

I am actually more comfortable going to confession face to face. For some odd reason, the time or two I have sat behind the screen I have been reminded of the faceless mechanical telephone booth things in the science fiction movie THX 1138 which were set up to placate the religious masses. It had a lit up picture of Christ on the back wall and a recorded response. I don’t remember the response exactly now, but the image has stuck with me, Not being able to see the priest’s face makes the whole thing feel somehow mechanical, and oddly, that is intimidating. As much as I tend to put my priests on a pedestal, I am also keenly aware of the fact that they are really men and, therefore, also sinners like me. I know they go to their fellow priests for confession, and that is somehow comforting. Since my priests know me reasonably well now, too, I think I get better counsel from them when they are aware who I am.

 

[RosalieM]

I’ve never confessed face to face. Lately, I’ve been going to confession once a week for faults and venial sins. Sometimes I go to a lovely mid town cathedral that only has booths built in to the walls. But I prefer a particular priest who hears confessions at my parish once a week in a confessional booth. I’ve heard a priest forgets the confession afterwards.
I would be distracted and uncomfortable face to face.
The only distraction I have with the booth is the lovely scent of the cedar wood.

 

[Debra_C]

I’ve never confessed face to face. Lately, I’ve been going to confession once a week for faults and venial sins. Sometimes I go to a lovely mid town cathedral that only has booths built in to the walls. But I prefer a particular priest who hears confessions at my parish once a week in a confessional booth. I’ve heard a priest forgets the confession afterwards.
I would be distracted and uncomfortable face to face.
The only distraction I have with the booth is the lovely scent of the cedar wood.

I hope the priests forget, for their sake! I can’t imagine the burden of having to know those things about so many people!

 

[datingtrappists]

My first confession was face to face, and for the most part (unless I’ve had a really, really bad week ) I go face to face, though the last time I confessed (and that was an absolutely ROTTEN week and I was getting ready to go behind the screen), it was face to face. The only time I could confess before Sunday Mass and Divine Liturgy (I go to both most of the times) was after Great Vespers to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest. It was such an overall wonderful experience (though extremely uncomfortable), that I may not go behind the screen again, even with greatly embarassing sins (notice, I said may not… )

Since I’ve started going to a Ukrainian Greek Catholic mission, I’ve been confessing to that priest. Actually, with the Byzantine Church (forgive me if I got the term wrong… I’m still learning) one confesses to the Icon of Christ. The priest stands to the side of the penitent, acting as a witness. Absolution is pronounced with the epitrachelion (stole) placed on the penitent’s head, and the priest’s hands on top of that.

 

[mackenm]

When I first went to confession, it was face-to-face in a priests office before I entered into full communion with the Church. I stayed with face to face for a long time. Now am at a parish where face-to-face isn’t an option unless you manage to catch one outside of normal confession, AND specifically ask to do it outside of the box. We have the traditional double-sided confessionals with priest in the center. I actually like it better, the names of the priests are on the outside of the Confessional so you know who is inside it. So if it matters you can still pick whom you go to.

Mary

 

[Matrix_Refugee]

I can’t do it at all: I get so embarrassed that I can’t even talk. There was one case where I was pretty much forced into it, and I had to pull my hat down over my forehead and turn aside so I didn’t feel quite as self-conscious. I love the anonymity of an enclosed confessional with a scrim between me and the priest.

 

[Bagpiper]

I am a new convert to the Catholic church. My first several confessions have been face to face. I found it more and more difficult to do confession in this way. Thankfully my parish has the option to go behind a screen. It has been awhile since my last confession and I know I will be behind the screen for my next one. I think I will be able to be more relaxed and open as I have some embarrassing sins to confess.

 

[jimpres]

We do not have regularly scheduled confessions here and therefore all of mine have been face to face. And I have been a Catholic for 71 years and never had a face to face until last year.

 

[tjfitz]

I haven’t been to confession for about 5 years, and the chief reason is that I can’t find any parishes in my city that have the traditional screened confessional. I know because I intended to go to confession about a year ago, and visited some three churches on a Saturday evening, but they all were only face-to-face. I suppose I should drop an anonymous note to the bishop asking him to talk to his priests: face-to-face!

 

[Benn]

Hello to all,
I am not Catholic but I respect your beliefs.

Why do you have to confess your sins to a man…other than the Man Jesus Christ? When Jesus was crucified the the veil was rent into permitting us to go into the presence of God personally…no mediator other the Christ.

Man cannot forgive sins only God.

Benn

 

[Beachcomber]

I’ve been to a face-to-face confession only twice. Fortunately, my sins were the banal kind–seriously, I couldn’t go face-to-face when I had something grave and serious to confess.

I asked my parish priest about whether he ‘put the face to the sin’ when he saw people whom he’d just heard in confession (obviously, it was face-to-face.) He told me that in all honesty, he just doesn’t remember. He thought he would remember, but he just doesn’t. Must be the Holy Spirit. That made me feel much better.

 

[Beachcomber]

Hello to all,
I am not Catholic but I respect your beliefs.

Why do you have to confess your sins to a man…other than the Man Jesus Christ? When Jesus was crucified the the veil was rent into permitting us to go into the presence of God personally…no mediator other the Christ.

Man cannot forgive sins only God.

Benn

Hi, Benn,

This isn’t an apologetic style answer to your question, but I also had the exact same issue.

I’d been away from the Church for close to 30 years and when I was thinking about returning, I went and spoke with a priest about what, if anything, was involved other than just showing up one Sunday.

In the course of our conversation, I mentioned that I had a problem with the idea of confessing one’s sins to a priest, who is a person, when in 1 John 1:9 it clearly says that if we confess our sins, He (God) will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I figured I could just cut out the middleman and go straight to God.

The priest replied that not everyone had a grasp of the Scriptures as I seemed to have.

This wasn’t very satisfactory for me since I couldn’t decide if he was being sarcastic.

There’ll be other and better answers on the forum here for your question. God bless.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I went to confession face to face today for the first time in about 30 years. I’m a regular (every 2 -3 weeks) in-the-box type gal. Even when the priest knows me well, I’m happier behind the screen.

Today, it worked out another way. I hadn’t been able to get to regular confession times for too many weeks, I happened to be prepared, and the priest was hanging around the church 45 minutes before daily Mass as he usually does, in case he can greet someone or be of service in some way. So I asked if he had a few minutes and he said yes. He gestured to his confessional and asked if I wanted to go there or just sit in the big church. I let him decide, so we went and sat in a pew.

OHMYGOODNESS! I didn’t know I was capable of turning so many shades of red. I’ve had a number of deep conversations with him outside of confession, and he knows a lot about me and my family and my secrets, but NOTHING compares to accusing yourself of your sins right there IN PERSON!!! He was very kind and didn’t seem to notice what color I had turned. And if you’re hesitant to go to confession, please don’t take this post the wrong way - it’s really just fine - really. It’s just hard to teach an old dog like me a new trick like face to face.

As I said in the thread title, if you do this all the time, my hat’s off to you! :tiphat:

Betsy

I usually do face-to-face, but…

Last week I went to another parish (for whatever reason) and not only was it face-to-face, but they had REMOVED the confessionals! It was just in a little alcove! Open! To everyone!!! Talk about confessing in Macy’s window!

 

[Aramis]

I usually do face-to-face, but…

Last week I went to another parish (for whatever reason) and not only was it face-to-face, but they had REMOVED the confessionals! It was just in a little alcove! Open! To everyone!!! Talk about confessing in Macy’s window!

Hey, in the Slavic-Byzantine tradition, confession is done in the front of the church!

 

[jimpres]

I have done my confession in the sacristy a few times standing face to face.

 

[booklady924]

I just cannot go face-to-face. I have been catholic all my life and for the past 26 years I have worked in a job that requires me to interact with all the parishes in the area. As a result, I know all the priests well. I am anguished with a sin from many years ago but I cannot bring myself to confess it to any of these priests, knowing that he will then know about this, and I do not think I could face him in the course of my job. I know that any of them would know me, even behind the screen.
The closest church that I do not work with is 40 miles away and I cannot get there easily.
I pray so hard for forgiveness and I hope that someday I can find a priest that I do not know.

 

[Aramis]

I just cannot go face-to-face. I have been catholic all my life and for the past 26 years I have worked in a job that requires me to interact with all the parishes in the area. As a result, I know all the priests well. I am anguished with a sin from many years ago but I cannot bring myself to confess it to any of these priests, knowing that he will then know about this, and I do not think I could face him in the course of my job. I know that any of them would know me, even behind the screen.
The closest church that I do not work with is 40 miles away and I cannot get there easily.
I pray so hard for forgiveness and I hope that someday I can find a priest that I do not know.

Excuses…

For most of my life, I’ve not had access to a priest I don’t know. (Something about being one of the kids of the Cathedral’s deacon for 6 years, and the largest parish’s deacon for 20…)

Don’t let your pride prevent you from confession.

 

[celticsfan1983]

I go to confession at the small parish in our town. Maybe 40 people go to our parish at the most. There’s no set time for Confession, it’s usually me coming 30 minutes before Mass and asking Fr. Neil if he could hear a confession. Would be pointless for me to go behind the screen. Wouldn’t fool anyone

That’s the nice thing about small town parishes. The priest is usually flexible on confession times, and can carry on a conversation with you during reconciliation