Seal of confession for non-priest

[GKCT]

confusedlost

When I post a question, I write where it was posted and the date. This way I am able to find it again. Hope this helps. Only took me months !! to figure this out.

Our confessional is a boxy little room located in the chapel. I sit in the farthest seat away from it. But others sit practically on top of it.

I can’t hear anything for the most part, but I did mention to one priest that I could hear him even from where I sit. I still wish they would put in some noise, or good music.

 

[confusedlost]

Hi: G
‘I can’t hear anything for the most part, but I did mention to one priest that I could hear him even from where I sit. I still wish they would put in some noise, or good music.’

I totally agree -
I also wish they would make it a solid built area.
There was one church long ago that had their confessional in a room that was part of the church building with solid walls and door; and because it was located between the altar and the choir area, people couldn’t get right up to it. This made the line further from the door. It made it more relaxing too knowing it would be quite difficult to hear with solid door and no one close by. I couldn’t hear anyone there and therefore they couldn’t hear me.

 

[TheMc]

Hi: G
'I can’t hear anything for the most part, but I did mention to one priest that I could hear him even from where I sit. I still wish they would put in some noise, or good music.

I totally agree -
I also wish they would make it a solid built area.
There was one church long ago that had their confessional in a room that was part of the church building with solid walls and door; and because it was located between the altar and the choir area, people couldn’t get right up to it. This made the line further from the door. It made it more relaxing too knowing it would be quite difficult to hear with solid door and no one close by. I couldn’t hear anyone there and therefore they couldn’t hear me.

In a small country parish near me, the confessional is in the sacristy on the epistle side of the sanctuary. While you can’t hear confessions during Mass easily, it works well for the privacy. You can’t really get close, and it’s very soundproof.

 

[odile53]

You know, I’ve never had any doubt whatsoever about the priest being able to keep a confidence. I know they are under pain of excommunication to reveal the contents of a confession, and cannot even testify to it in a court of law without risking the above.

Also, I’m sure that after an hour or so of listening to people, most of the stuff blends together. Most of us are pretty boring sinners, and I think one of the graces God gives to our priests is the ability to stay awake to listen to all of it! I really can’t picture Saturday evening dinner in the rectory, with Father Joe telling Father Peter “You wouldn’t believe the one I heard this afternoon…”

Still, some churches have some real acoustical challenges. Voices can either carry or evaporate in a cavernous nave. But happily, there are technologies to address this.

In my parish church we have discreet little marker signs for confessional lines, there is a separate “box” style confessional with a hearing amplifier for the hard of hearing, so the priest doesn’t have to shout at the penitent, one confessional room which gives you the option of screen or no screen, and three standard double-sided “boxes,” with the priest’s name on the center door. The curtains are very heavy velveteen, the boxes are all lined with acoustic tile, and a Gregorian chant CD is played during confession times. The four pews near each booth are cordoned off with theater-style ropes to prevent the curious from stationing themselves within earshot.

You’d have to confess with a megaphone to be heard intelligibly outside of the box anywhere beyond five feet away.

If you have real concerns about the soundproofing of the confessional, some of the above suggestions might be proposed to your pastor. For an average sized church, I doubt the modifications I mentioned above to the existing setup would cost more than maybe $2000 at the most. Acoustic tile is cheap and easy to install, heavy curtains (preferably lined with something like foam, like the kind you see in hotel rooms) could be sewn up by some parish volunteers, and a hand held amplifier like a telephone receiver could probably be gotten through Radio Shack.

And I’m thinking that if you present the above improvements as a way to get more Catholics to go to confession, that might just make Father perk up his ears!

 

[confusedlost]

Hi Mc:

Sounds like your church was like the old church that I liked too.

Maybe since they were small country churches they couldn’t afford a box confessional and it actually worked out better because it was part of the building, which made it more soundproof.

 

[confusedlost]

Still, some churches have some real acoustical challenges. Voices can either carry or evaporate in a cavernous nave. But happily, there are technologies to address this.

In my parish church we have discreet little marker signs for confessional lines, there is a separate “box” style confessional with a hearing amplifier for the hard of hearing, so the priest doesn’t have to shout at the penitent, one confessional room which gives you the option of screen or no screen, and three standard double-sided “boxes,” with the priest’s name on the center door. The curtains are very heavy velveteen, the boxes are all lined with acoustic tile, and a Gregorian chant CD is played during confession times. The four pews near each booth are cordoned off with theater-style ropes to prevent the curious from stationing themselves within earshot.

You’d have to confess with a megaphone to be heard intelligibly outside of the box anywhere beyond five feet away.

And I’m thinking that if you present the above improvements as a way to get more Catholics to go to confession, that might just make Father perk up his ears!

I really like that your church has taken some time and thought into making the confessional experience as private as possible. really nice.

 

[yellowantphil]

I’ve only been a Catholic for a year, so I’ve only been to confession at a handful of different places. But in my experience, confessions are always heard in a completely separate room, with a door. There is virtually no possibility of someone overhearing the confession. How common is it to have confessions in an area where people in line might overhear? I don’t blame confusedlost for wanting the church to ensure that no one can overhear confessions.

 

[confusedlost]

Hi yellow: Thanks for your post - Welcome to the Catholic Church

In my lifetime I only recall one place that had a confessional like yours, completely separate - I have lived all my life in CA.

 

[nicolep]

Post quote: ‘Man, everytime I try to help someone around here, it gets thrown back at me. Argh!’
I felt this post to be a bit angry.

I made a statement regarding the duty of the Church to protect the seal of confession. I stand by that statement and I hope the church does too.

The seal is to be protected, just like any Sacrament which is the duty of the priest to ensure that it is valid. Once that seal is unprotected, the seal is gone. This is of extreme importance to the Sacrament of Confession.

And as I also said: even for those who don’t want to hear someone else’s confession, should not be put in temptations way. It is important that we all take it seriously.
We are sinners (as James said, if you say you have no sin, you are a liar) and as sinners we are, weak. There would be no need for a ‘seal of confession’ if people did the right thing by nature, and then we wouldn’t need the seal to begin with.

And how many people know the seal pertains to them too? How many people can be truly trusted - I trust the priest when I go to confession, but it would be pure foolishness to trust everyone in the church - otherwise just have it be a public confession to begin with, and how many would confession then?

As a few others posted there are canon laws – and they do clearly pertain to all – which I am very happy the church takes it seriously enough to make to totally clear it pertains to all. And a law requires that the ones that made it, take it the most seriously, the church leaders.

How many people don’t gossip – ever? How many people do I want to know my confession besides the priest?
I have read and researched a lot and I didn’t know about the canon laws until today - and Yes those laws pertain to all - but how many people, if ever, have heard of the ‘seal’ being applied to them - we say ‘the priest’ must not break the seal - how often to we say ‘no one must break the seal of confession’ or else be excommunicated.
We are called sheep in the Bible for a good reason – we follow and those we trust to lead are the priests and church leaders.

Prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I can’t change how you feel. Trust me, I wasn’t angry. I don’t care enough about random posts on a message board to get angry. Frustrated sure because you completely skipped 95% of what I said and choose to only comment on one part of my post.

Yes, people gossip, which is exactly why I said the blame lies with the people repeating what they heard.

Anyway, good luck to you. You might want to read my post again because I DID in fact offer some advise.

 

[confusedlost]

to nicole:

None of my posts had been addressed specifically to you. They were comments about my views. I have not specifically addressed a post to you until this one. I was speaking to the board in general and you have turned it into something personal, and as you say frustrated (which I would call, unfriendly). Your posts have been directed specifically at me, and not just about the posted issue itself nor about your own view.

My goal coming here was to have some friendly informative discussions, not to be addressed in a frustrated, unfriendly manner in a personal way.

I would appreciate it if we just agree to disagree and go on our separate ways. Please do not consider any of my other posts to have been, to you, but only to have been adding to the discuss in general - regarding the different responses I had received.

thank you,

 

[confusedlost]

one correction: to nicole
I did address my concern that you sounded angry - and I did continue the thread of the discussion on the same post - which I should have made a separate post since the rest was NOT meant to be addressed specifically to you - but only to continue the discussion in general regarding the subject based on what you and others too, had said.
Since I had not addressed it to your name - I didn’t consider that you could take it as being addressed to you - I was not trying to continue a discussion with you specifically. My mistake on how a post might be looked at differently.

 

[nicolep]

one correction: to nicole
I did address my concern that you sounded angry - and I did continue the thread of the discussion on the same post - which I should have made a separate post since the rest was NOT meant to be addressed specifically to you - but only to continue the discussion in general regarding the subject based on what you and others too, had said.
Since I had not addressed it to your name - I didn’t consider that you could take it as being addressed to you - I was not trying to continue a discussion with you specifically. My mistake on how a post might be looked at differently.

Since you quoted my statememt about “I don’t think the blame should be placed squarely on the Church” or something along those lines, I thought you were directing the entire post to me.

I think it’s just a matter of miscommunication. No harm, no foul, yes?