"Reconciliation Room"?

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Imcatholic7

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Hello! I plan on receiving my first Confession within the week. However, my parish has a “reconciliation room”. Am I aloud to confess my sins anonymously still or must I do it face to face? I have never heard of this before. Thank you!
 
It depends on the indivdual room. Many rooms have screens, as well as an option for Confession without the screen. I’d recommend you ask a fellow parishioner to find out what the layout of the “Reconciliation Room” at your parish is like.

If there is no screen in the “Reconciliation Room”, call your pastor and make an appointment for an anonymous Confession (he’s obligated to honor this).
 
You should always have the option of anonymous confession.

From the Code of Canon Law

964 §2. The conference of bishops is to establish norms regarding the confessional; it is to take care, however, that there are always confessionals with a fixed grate between the penitent and the confessor in an open place so that the faithful who wish to can use them freely.
 
Our church has a “reconciliation room”.

It has the screen, and also an area for face to face. It is decorated quite comfortably, almost a home atmosphere.

It does make confession/reconciliation more comfortable, I think.
 
All parishes that I have visited have the option. Most, when entering you are behind the screen , and one must walk around that wall if you wish to have a seat and confess face to face. You can ask anyone at your parish about it, in fact you can poke your head in to check it out yourself. Don’t just worry and let this build up in your mind. Ask your priest or deacon if you can see the reconciliation room, just out of curiosity as you travel along in your faith journey. No one would think this is a strange request. God bless you on your journey. 🙂
 
Regardless of whether you choose the screen, or the chair for face-to-face, remember this… the priest is only a veil between you and Jesus. Jesus already knows what you want and need to confess, so confess to Jesus in the confessional room, or booth, not thinking you are confessing to the priest. You dont have to stumble and explain (backpeddle, make excuses) for what you have done. Jesus already knows. And I am only sharing this because some of my non-Catholic friends cant accept that we confess at all.

My favorite priest explained it like this… You are an only child, your parents are in the kitchen and hear a crash in the living room ( where you are ). They enter the room and you are trying to not look guilty. They know what you did, YOU know what you did, but they wait for you to openly admit. No yelling, no screaming, no severe punishment, just admittance, and sorrow for your action.

Just confess to “Jesus” in the room, or booth regardless of your choice. At this point in my life, I like face-to-face. I find myself looking down at the floor, like a child, LOL, but the worst pennance I ever got was to say an entire Rosary.

Chin up, kid. We are all ‘children’ of God
 
We have reconciliation rooms in two of the churches in my parish. Both have a screened area with a kneeler which you enter first - you have to walk around the screen to sit face-to-face with the priest if that is your preference.

I’ve never heard of a reconciliation room set up any other way, except during a couple retreats I’ve been on. In those cases it was obvious that you either went face-to-face or you didn’t go to confession those weekends. 🤷
 
Phemie said:
Is that sarcasm? I saw a confessional last week for the first time in decades, they are extinct in this diocese.
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Real old-fashioned confessionals are extinct in my diocese as well, with the exception of those that were more or less built as a part of the architecture in the beautiful old churches. Any church here built in the last few decades has a reconciliation room. That said, there is still a screen and you can do your confession either way. The priest sits so that he can’t see you when you first come in the door, and you can either go directly to the screen, or go around the screen to sit in a chair next to him.
 
Imcatholic7 said:
Hello! I plan on receiving my first Confession within the week. However, my parish has a “reconciliation room”. Am I aloud to confess my sins anonymously still or must I do it face to face? I have never heard of this before. Thank you!
Click to expand...
You should visit the reconciliation room when nobody is inside to see how the room is laid out. Normally, the priest’s seat is hidden behind a screen or curtain that shields you from his view until you go around it.
 
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