Snoopers during Confession

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I was confirmed on Easter, 2007, so confession is still rather new to me. However, yesterday something quite bizaare happened and I’m wondering if it is just my reaction or is this unheard of.

While waiting in line for the confession (it’s a room in our multi-purpose room. The door has a glass window and to confess, we can either kneel behind the screen or sit facing Fr. So, when I got almost to the front of the line, the woman next to me (who would be confessing next) walked over and twice peeked the glass into the room. She’d already seen the woman in front of her go in, so I’m not sure what her purpose was.

So, when it was my turn, I went in and was in the middle of my confession when I saw someone doing the same to me - peeking in, leaving and peeking in again. It was very disturbing and distracting. Everyone at our church knows when and where confessions are. Plus, there was still a line behind me waiting to confess, so it’s not like no one knew what was going on.

I said something to Fr. and he said not to worry and just go on. However, this just seems like such a breech of privacy. I know they can’t hear, but it’s supposed to be private.

Am I overreacting?
 
It sounds like they either need a new door or a curtain. I’ve never been in a confessional like that. Typically, there is a little light that goes on above the door to signal that another person is inside confessing, which eliminates any need to check and see if the room is empty.

I think it was rude of those people to do that, btw.
 
We still use the old confessionals with the lights. Saying that, people know to stay a number of feet away from the confessional and only approach if the door is only.

We had 4 confessionals going yesterday but only only 3 were actively being used. One priest forgot to turn the lights on and he was in there for 45 minutes without one taker (even though the door was open)
 
peregrinus_WA said:
We still use the old confessionals with the lights. Saying that, people know to stay a number of feet away from the confessional and only approach if the door is only.
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My church is relatively new (the addition especially). We have two confessionals, both with doors and little lights and all - there are two lights, one to indicate that a Priest is present and one to indicate that someone is in the confessional. We also have several other places where confessions can be heard.

Of course, the start of the line for the confessionals is sort of around the corner from the confessional so it isn’t unheard of for the first person in line to “peak around” to see if the light is on and the door is open. No one I have ever seen has actually gotten close though to the confessional so 🤷. I would suggest the next time you are talking to Father outside the confessional if he could explain why this happens so your mind can be set at ease.
peregrinus_WA said:
We had 4 confessionals going yesterday but only only 3 were actively being used. One priest forgot to turn the lights on and he was in there for 45 minutes without one taker (even though the door was open)
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This one is just too funny! No one checked to see if someone was in the confessional because an open door is an indication too that there is a Priest present. Oh, just too funny :rotfl:

Brenda V.
 
Brenda_V said:
This one is just too funny! No one checked to see if someone was in the confessional because an open door is an indication too that there is a Priest present. Oh, just too funny :rotfl:
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It is not the first time this happened for this particular priest. The only reason I noticed is that I happen to sit in the row right across from this particular confessional.
 
pmoo said:
I was confirmed on Easter, 2007, so confession is still rather new to me. However, yesterday something quite bizaare happened and I’m wondering if it is just my reaction or is this unheard of.

While waiting in line for the confession (it’s a room in our multi-purpose room. The door has a glass window and to confess, we can either kneel behind the screen or sit facing Fr. So, when I got almost to the front of the line, the woman next to me (who would be confessing next) walked over and twice peeked the glass into the room. She’d already seen the woman in front of her go in, so I’m not sure what her purpose was.

So, when it was my turn, I went in and was in the middle of my confession when I saw someone doing the same to me - peeking in, leaving and peeking in again. It was very disturbing and distracting. Everyone at our church knows when and where confessions are. Plus, there was still a line behind me waiting to confess, so it’s not like no one knew what was going on.

I said something to Fr. and he said not to worry and just go on. However, this just seems like such a breech of privacy. I know they can’t hear, but it’s supposed to be private.

Am I overreacting?
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Grace and Peace,

Just remember, originally confessions were ‘public’ and there was no privacy at all. :o
 
chrisb said:
Grace and Peace,

Just remember, originally confessions were ‘public’ and there was no privacy at all. :o
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Thankfully — the Holy Spirit moved the Church away from that. Just imagine – because of fallen human nature — how the private information known via confession — could be used.
 
chrisb said:
Grace and Peace,

Just remember, originally confessions were ‘public’ and there was no privacy at all. :o
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😃 I did forget that! Our church does not have the ‘original’ confessionals, but it will when we get our new building. Right now, our priests actually use classrooms in our multi-purpose room, which serves as the sanctuary during mass, but is also used for other events when necessary.

Thanks for reminding me it could always be worse!
 
If you were to help your parish get one of those little signs like they have in doctor’s offices now-- “For the privacy of other patients, please remain behind this sign until it is your turn”–you would be doing them a favor.

Of course, that wouldn’t amend the impatient ones who think a) the rules aren’t for them, because they are in such a hurry and b) that hitting the button on the elevator twelve times will make it come faster.:rolleyes:

(Looking them in the eye with a “Do you MIND?” expression might help, but I doubt it.)
 
*Apropos of nothing . . . 😃 *

The parish at which I typically go to confession has a little “box” over the confessional door that makes “white noise” when someone is in there so no one can listen in; the sound (or the “non sound”) seems to be linked to the red/green light system.

They had been doing some reconstruction, and the noise box was somewhat haphazardly wired. The line was long, everyone was waiting quietly for their turn as a gentlemen went inside for his confession. Suddenly the box fell off the wall with a loud crash! “Wow,” commented one older gentleman, “that must have been one heck of a sin.” Everybody burst out laughing, just about the time the confessor stepped out of the confessional, looked at us rather confused at the laughter, and then almost fell over the little noise box.

Confession is not usually that entertaining.
 
IrishAm said:
*Apropos of nothing . . . 😃 *

The parish at which I typically go to confession has a little “box” over the confessional door that makes “white noise” when someone is in there so no one can listen in; the sound (or the “non sound”) seems to be linked to the red/green light system.

They had been doing some reconstruction, and the noise box was somewhat haphazardly wired. The line was long, everyone was waiting quietly for their turn as a gentlemen went inside for his confession. Suddenly the box fell off the wall with a loud crash! “Wow,” commented one older gentleman, “that must have been one heck of a sin.” Everybody burst out laughing, just about the time the confessor stepped out of the confessional, looked at us rather confused at the laughter, and then almost fell over the little noise box.

Confession is not usually that entertaining.
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Cute story. But pity the poor guy who walked out to laughter!
 
Who cares, they aren’t standing around and listening. It may be annoying that people keep peeking in, but they can’t really hear what’s going on, so nothing to worry about.
 
I went to confession the other day in an oldish church that
has recently constructed some new confessionals in which
it appears that one can either kneel before a screen or
face the priest. Problem is that they are not sound-proofed.
One pentitant, who was engaged in making a very long
confession, was speaking to the priest in a booming voice
so that I had to try hard not to hear him. I kept saying, sometimes
in a mutter, “keep your voice down, you damn fool, I don’t
want to hear your confession.” Why the priest didn’t tell the
poor booby to cool it, I can’t imagine.
 
Walking_Home said:
Thankfully — the Holy Spirit moved the Church away from that. Just imagine – because of fallen human nature — how the private information known via confession — could be used.
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Yes, I am, by no means, suggesting that I am bold enough to utter my shame before all. Hopefully, my remains before me in order to keep me humble. :o
 
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