Is it okay to desire to get confession in multiple states

  • Thread starter Thread starter whichwaytogo47
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
W

whichwaytogo47

Guest
Is it weird to want to get confession in all 50 states? It doesn’t matter because being able to speak with God is the most beautiful thing. I usually go to confession on a monthly basis. I believe I’ve been to confession in at least four states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, and DC. West Virginia and Virginia are in my backyard as is Connecticut when I’m in Massachusetts. Is this a weird aspiration? I kind of wish I got confession in Quebec City when I was there as a teenager (about 20 years ago) on a pilmagrage.
 
Last edited:
I can’t envision the location(s) of the reception of the sacrament makes any difference whatsoever.
 
I was wondering if it was weird or even sinful to seek to do it in multiple states. I’d much rather do a thorough confession and do a good examination of conscience but I have a fascination of wanting to receive confession in states I visit. I guess it’s okay as long I’m not doing it as a pride thing or going way out of my way simply to add another state to the list. I just had a fascination of like that would be cool to have confession in more states.

Thanks so much!
 
Last edited:
If you need to go to confession and happen to be in another state fine, but you shouldn’t be planning for the next confession before or just after having been.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think it’s sinful, but it’s definitely odd. I guess I don’t get why this is something you’d care about or keep track of.
 
I am the other way around and go to confession before I travel. One priest said to me during confession (before the pilgrimage to the Holy land on which both of us were going) that going to confession was a good way to start the pilgrimage. I just replied that “Sins are pretty heavy to carry around and counted as overweight luggage.” His reply “You can always look at sin that way!” while smiling.
 
whichwaytogo47 said:
I guess it’s okay as long I’m not doing it as a pride thing or going way out of my way simply to add another state to the list. I just had a fascination of like that would be cool to have confession in more states.
Click to expand...
I mean, if you have a job that requires you to travel a lot for work, and it happens to work out this way, fine. But when it comes to confession, you shouldn’t be thinking about checking states off a list. You should be thinking about reconciliation with God. You don’t want to treat the sacrament like it’s some kind of game or scavenger hunt.
 
whichwaytogo47 said:
Is it weird to want to get confession in all 50 states? It doesn’t matter because being able to speak with God is the most beautiful thing. I usually go to confession on a monthly basis. I believe I’ve been to confession in at least four states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, and DC. West Virginia and Virginia are in my backyard as is Connecticut when I’m in Massachusetts. Is this a weird aspiration? I kind of wish I got confession in Quebec City when I was there as a teenager (about 20 years ago) on a pilmagrage.
Click to expand...
Hi whichwaytogo47,

I think this peculiar & unique desire is entirely fine provided that you celebrate the Sacrament with the appropriate love & respect, which I have no doubt you would. You might even publish an article about it in retrospect. 🙂
 
Last edited:
Yep, it’s weird.

What were to happen if you did confession outside of the US? Would it diminish your desire your need to go to all 50 states? 🤨
 
Last edited:
If you are in a particular State and it is time for Confession, take advantage of it, by all means. But don’t go to TN for Confession and then say, “Now I’m going to go to KY and confess there,” going from State to State solely for that purpose.
 
whichwaytogo47 said:
Is it weird to want to get confession in all 50 states? It doesn’t matter because being able to speak with God is the most beautiful thing. I usually go to confession on a monthly basis. I believe I’ve been to confession in at least four states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, and DC. West Virginia and Virginia are in my backyard as is Connecticut when I’m in Massachusetts. Is this a weird aspiration? I kind of wish I got confession in Quebec City when I was there as a teenager (about 20 years ago) on a pilmagrage.
Click to expand...
Why on earth would you want to do that. It sounds like something on a bucket list that will subsequently be boasted about!
 
States have no theological significance, Confess here, confess there - all the same to God.
 
As long as you’re doing confession that’s a good thing! If this motivates you to do it, all the better!
 
In a universal Church there are no borders or boundaries.

I mean if you want too I guess everyone’s got their thing.
 
This does seem a bit odd. Not wrong per se- but a bit odd.
On the other hand, I could see someone wanting to experience Holy Mass in multiple geographical locations for various reasons. Off the top of my head I’ve been to Mass in:
British Columbia, Canada
Alberta, Canada
Ontario, Canada
Washington, USA
Utah, USA
Nevada, USA
Minnesota, USA
New York, USA
Dominican Republic
Argentina
Italy
Vatican City State
 
twf said:
This does seem a bit odd. Not wrong per se- but a bit odd.
On the other hand, I could see someone wanting to experience Holy Mass in multiple geographical locations for various reasons.
Click to expand...
Which is why - I think - there is absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever with wanting to do it for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, provided that the sacrament is properly celebrated and not just a card-punch. Precisely the same thing could be said every time a person walks through the doors for Mass, whether it’s daily or weekly.

It seems more peculiar for Reconciliation than for Mass but… 🤷‍♂️
 
Last edited:
It’s not “wrong” in either case, but confession is personal whereas mass is communal. It just raises concerns that the person is turning confession into some kind of game or something.

If a person just happens to travel a lot and it just happens to work out this way, then that’s totally fine. But deliberately trying to strikes me as odd. Just rubs me the wrong way.
 
You go to confession when you need it, where you need it.

For me, that usually means the abbey where I attend Mass, sometimes St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal.

Farthest away for me was a couple of times in Seoul on business trips, many years ago.
 
Thanks a bunch for the responses. I wasn’t able to actually make it to confession. I look forward to maybe going tonight. That would be awesome.

I definitely wanted to avoid it being a card punch but saw that it’s easy for me to be tempted to do so or at least remember where I’ve been to confession. With the time frame, I should have gotten confession in CT at 2PM but I didn’t know where it was and by the time I found it, it was out of my way (6 miles from where I came from) and I had other priorities that I needed to take care of (visiting my dad). I think the suggestions to go before you go on your trip was a great suggestion because the more places I travel to, I want to be careful that I don’t make it a card punch because “there’s only 5 states more to get to 50” kind of thing.

I really like the responses I received. My conscience did bother me after I posted it because it seemed odd or silly even to me. I also want to give the sacrament that deference that it deserves.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top