question on confession.

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thechrismyster

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quick question, when i go to a local shrine which is run by Polish Priests ( czestochowa.us/home_us.php - the Pauline Fathers) - i often go to confession, but one thing that is different than traditional American churches iis i’m not asked to say an act of contrition. the Priests simply says the absolution after i confess. is this confession valid?
 
Say an act of contrition before you go in, or after you come out. It’s valid.
 
What probably happens is that the priest assumes that you are saying the act of contrition. I know that because I grew up going to confessions in Poland. I was never told to say the act of contrition, so I said it quietly. Even the confession does not have to have a proper form to get absolution. The Words of Absolution - that’s what counts.
 
My parents are buried in their graveyard out in the back behind the picnic area so I go there several times a year to pay my respects and often do my confessions there.

As long as the priest understands your confession, it is valid. There are some priests that speak Polish ONLY. Before you begin, ask “Puszka metalowa Ja zrobić mój wyznanie po angielsku?” If he says “tak”, then you’re good to go. If he says “nie”, then go look for another priest or be prepared to confess in Polish. Most understand SOME English but SOME do not understand ANY English.
 
when I was prepared for first confession many moons ago, we were instructed to pray the act of contrition while the priest was reciting the long absolution in Latin, and we were never explicitly asked to say it by the priest. I think priests got in the habit of asking when they found people had been poorly instructed and did not know when to do it.
 
sorry I know this thread is a little old, but it depends on the priest you end up with at Czestochowa. if he doesnt ask you to say an act of contrition (a lot of them just say “are you sorry for your sins?”) it probably means he doesnt speak much English. There are only a couple, though – if you’re at the shrine before an English Mass then the scheduled priests for confession usually speak English very well.
 
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