Respectful attitude while in line for confession

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crenfro

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Hello.

I slouched against a pillar while waiting in the line for confession. Is this rude to do? Sometimes my back hurts when I wait for a while and I’ll lean against the wall, too. Sometimes I wish the confession line had the ticket system like the Highway Dept. has, but I guess that’s silly, and anyway, I do get silly a lot…but I do worry I’m insulting God when I lean against something while waiting there in church.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for listening.
 
If I had to wait in line, I’d probably pace out of sheer nerves. Where is the confessional located at your church? Are you in the presence of Christ (is the tabernacle around)? I think if you are leaning out of discomfort, it isn’t a problem. Just follow your conscience - it doesn’t sound like a problem to me. If you were leaning because you were bored and wanted to show it, then it would be a problem. Maybe if standing becomes too much for you, you could ask the person behind you in line to tap your shoulder when it is you turn and sit in a pew for a while 🤷.

My first thought when I saw the title of your post, was turning to the person next to you in line and asking ‘So, what you here to confess?’. Sorry have to share what goes on in my mind sometimes. 😃
 
My first thought was - A line!?? Most times at my parish, I can walk right in with no waiting in line at all! When there IS a line, my only request is that it is far enough from the confessional that you don’t have to worry about being overheard. On a couple of occassions, someone else has walked right in (to the other side) while I’ve been confessing, and when I exit, they are standing RIGHT there.

Leaning against a pillar. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. At least you’re in line!
 
acadian said:
My first thought was - A line!?? Most times at my parish, I can walk right in with no waiting in line at all! When there IS a line, my only request is that it is far enough from the confessional that you don’t have to worry about being overheard. On a couple of occassions, someone else has walked right in (to the other side) while I’ve been confessing, and when I exit, they are standing RIGHT there.
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Others near by (insert emoticon making AWKWARD sign) :rotfl:

I have to go find my priest or caught his eye and signal that I want confession. I’ve never had to wait.

On being overheard - I know for a fact my confessional isn’t sound proof, I once heard the guy after me yelling (thankfully I couldn’t understand WHAT he was yelling). 😃 Besides I speak so softly my priest has had to lean forward to hear me before. OTOH, my former priest is loosing his hearing and when I said that must make confession difficult he said ‘yeah I just want to yell YOU DID WHAT’. So I wouldn’t want to be the one in the box when Father looses patience :rolleyes:.
 
A parish near my office has daily confessions before the noon Mass which I go to and which always has a line of at least a few people. At the top of the confessional door, on the outside, is an electronic box that produces “white noise” so that people cannot hear the normal voices inside the confessional.

One day when there had been construction and remodeling going on in the church, with confessions in progress with the usual line, the noise box fell off the wall. Without thinking, I said, “Wow, I wonder what HE confessed!” Everyone laughed as the poor penitent stepped out from his confession and looked at us somewhat shocked at the merriment.

I confessed to not being appropriately respectful as soon as it was my turn . . 😊.
 
There is almost always a line at my parish and we have confession times scheduled for 3 times a week with more than one priest! Woohoo!!

On one side of the church there is a pew against the back wall for people to sit while waiting. Of course, if you are farther back in line, you are still standing.

I don’t think anyone is really noticing what others are doing in line because we are all praying, or perhaps reading a preparation for confession. I know I’ve leaned against a pillar before and I’m sure others have too.

Don’t worry, God is pleaseed that you are taking advantage of the great graces in the sacrament. 😃
 
I consider leaning against a post or wall more respectful than falling on the floor when my legs give out. 😃
 
Lean.
Sit.
Lie down.
Stand.
Crawl.
Roll.
Skip.
RUN to confession! He’s running to meet YOU!!! 😃

At our parish the church is under construction, so we have confessions on two pews in the back of the school gym (our temporary sanctuary). People line up down the center or side aisles, some twenty feet away from, and with the backs to the priests and penitents. Some stand, some sit, some lean. There is no privacy, no secrecy, and no “white noise.” I told a friend of mine that I was tempted to start singing a hymn in line just to make sure I didn’t overhear other people’s confessions. I may offer my services as a pianist to play some reverent music Saturday afternoons 🤷

I am delighted to say that our parish has confessions six days a week, and I’ve seen a line every time I’ve gone – Thanks be to GOD!!!

Gertie
 
Slouching against a pillar is nothing. At my parish there’s no pillar handy, but the confession line is against a wall, so you can lean against a wall.

Once I was in a confession line before daily Mass–yes, a line is quite common–when there were about ten or twelve people in line. A lady in a low-cut red dress came dashing over to the line, saying “do you mind? do you mind if I cut in? I have to get to a wedding!” and went straight to the front of the line.

I don’t think anybody begrudged giving up their place. The entertainment value was worth it. It’s just too bad it was a confessional instead of face to face, so the priest could have been entertained too.
 
Gertabelle said:
At our parish the church is under construction, so we have confessions on two pews in the back of the school gym (our temporary sanctuary). People line up down the center or side aisles, some twenty feet away from, and with the backs to the priests and penitents. Some stand, some sit, some lean. There is no privacy, no secrecy, and no “white noise.” I told a friend of mine that I was tempted to start singing a hymn in line just to make sure I didn’t overhear other people’s confessions. I may offer my services as a pianist to play some reverent music Saturday afternoons 🤷
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I don’t think that meets the requirements for temporary confessional. There are guidelines - I’ll try to find them and link them for you.
 
Mel_Stones said:
If I had to wait in line, I’d probably pace out of sheer nerves. Where is the confessional located at your church? Are you in the presence of Christ (is the tabernacle around)? I think if you are leaning out of discomfort, it isn’t a problem. Just follow your conscience - it doesn’t sound like a problem to me. If you were leaning because you were bored and wanted to show it, then it would be a problem. Maybe if standing becomes too much for you, you could ask the person behind you in line to tap your shoulder when it is you turn and sit in a pew for a while 🤷.

My first thought when I saw the title of your post, was turning to the person next to you in line and asking ‘So, what you here to confess?’. Sorry have to share what goes on in my mind sometimes. 😃
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thanks for sharing.it is useful and great for me
http://www.photosnag.com/img/4673/n09x0302vnsn/clear.gif
 
:rotfl:

Thank you all so much. Now I won’t worry as much when I lean against a pillar or the wall while in line.

Many blessings to you and thanks for listening.
 
JimG said:
Slouching against a pillar is nothing. At my parish there’s no pillar handy, but the confession line is against a wall, so you can lean against a wall.

Once I was in a confession line before daily Mass–yes, a line is quite common–when there were about ten or twelve people in line. A lady in a low-cut red dress came dashing over to the line, saying “do you mind? do you mind if I cut in? I have to get to a wedding!” and went straight to the front of the line.
I don’t think anybody begrudged giving up their place. The entertainment value was worth it. It’s just too bad it was a confessional instead of face to face, so the priest could have been entertained too.
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That’s great!! Glad she realized the importance!
 
When reading the title of your post concerning a respectful attitude, I didn’t know it would be about anything as minor as leaning against something. I have trouble standing, myself. But I am always amazed about how chatty people get in the confession line. That seems to be the only place where people want to talk to me! Just before Easter the lady next to me told me she had nothing to confess, since she hadn’t murdered anyone - so she was just going to ask the priest for his blessing. I wonder how that went. Of course, we were both adding to our sins by talking too much!
 
At least your there. I would be equaly proud of you if you crawled.
 
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