Screened or face to face confession?

[GangGreen]

I haven’t gone yet. Being baptized into the Church on the Easter Vigil. I’m slightly terrified of confession. But I’m thinking screen, at least in the beginning.

I was scared myself the first time that I had gone (since I was a kid anyway). When I was done, there was no describing the feeling of happiness and the weight taken off of me. I had actually cried out of joy in the pew and the whole way home afterward.
Luke 15:7:

In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance.

 

[ermcma]

I prefer face to face.

 

[InThePew]

screen… its far easier to see it as a spiritual rather than personal experience. When I go to confession, I am there to ask forgiveness from God and to receive absolution and penance. I am not there to have a discussion with the Priest about what I have done.

If I needed legitimate spiritual direction relating to a specific issue, I’d ask to sit down and talk with a Priest, but confession for me is something separate.

(and for what its worth, I agree about the screens you can see through - I once talked into a confessional and found I could have read the tags on the Priest’s robe…whats the point of the screen? )

The idea is supposed to be that there is more lighting on the priest’s side than on yours. That said, I’ve known more than a few situations where the “anonymity” was more than a bit thin.

I think though that it’s important not to disregard the advice / guidance the priest gives you. You’re right in saying that legitimate spiritual guidance is best left to spiritual direction but I believe that what I hear from the priest is what God wants me to hear at that particular point in time - which may be as simple as “God loves you.” Absolution is of course the end (in a literal sense) of the sacrament but it’s not end in terms of the purpose. the sacrament exists in order to allow us to heal our wounded relationship with God and the guidance given by the priest is an important part of this as is of course you’re contrition - the whole reason for being there in the first place).

 

[Catholic_Wife]

I know some church have reconciliation service where you go up and say one thing what is on your mid and i fill that is is rushed that is why i prefer to go in the confession box and take my time and not fell rushed and its traditional.

What you mentioned goes against making a “good confession” which includes number and kind.

At our penance services, we normally have 7-9 priests available to hear confessions throughout the building (in the nave, sacristy, bride room, parish office, reconciliation room, etc.). If someone wants a shorter wait, and don’t care which priest they confess to, they go to the shorter line. The line for the screened confession is often one of the longest. Those at the end of the line usually wait at least an hour for our turn, but everyone knows that there will be that long of a wait and we make the best of it. People and priests alike seem to understand that penance services are not the place for “counseling” kinds of confession, so they are pretty quick - no chatting.

 

[Pulvis]

I prefer the Screens. Old fashioned i Guess.

 

[Parisian]

I have the option of screen or face-to-face and never choose the screen. I don’t know why I choose one over the other. I think its because thats what I started doing as an adult and then now consider it the way to do it. Plus both Priest know me well enough to know my voice.

 

[HoosMommie]

I rather like face-to-face because it reminds me of apostolic succession.

To wit, to look into the eyes of the priest and know that his eyes have looked into older eyes, those in kind have looked into older eyes… until there is one in the unbroken chain during history who looked into the eyes of Christ himself.

This is the way I see it, too. Beautiful. The eyes of Christ.

 

[Pax2u]

I’m old enough to remember the old fashioned confessionals, where you knelt in the dark and waited until Father slid the little curtain window open to begin your confession. And sometimes you could hear the person in the other side confessing their sins…Sister told us not to listen, so I would rub my headscarf against my ears to block the sound lol!!

Nowadays…my true preference would be to confess behind a screen. But I go face to face. The thought process being if I’m “big enough” to commit the sins, I should be big enough to fess up face to face. I do it as an extra penance.

What a beautiful sacrament it is!!! We are so blessed.

 

[JimG]

I’m old enough to remember the old fashioned confessionals, where you knelt in the dark and waited until Father slid the little curtain window open to begin your confession. And sometimes you could hear the person in the other side confessing their sins…Sister told us not to listen, so I would rub my headscarf against my ears to block the sound lol!!

Nowadays…my true preference would be to confess behind a screen. But I go face to face. The thought process being if I’m “big enough” to commit the sins, I should be big enough to fess up face to face. I do it as an extra penance.

What a beautiful sacrament it is!!! We are so blessed.

The confessional we have in our parish, which was recently remodeled, are pretty much the same as those old fashioned confessionals, except that they are not dark but well lit, the curtains are more opaque, so the priest cannot see you, and the slide is secure enough that you cannot hear anything from the penitent on the other side.

Anonymous and private, just the way confessionals are supposed to be.

I’ve been to confession at some other parishes who have a reconciliation room with the option of going behind the screen or face to face. From what I’ve heard, 90% use the screen.