Unusual or creative penance from confession

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Anyone ever receive unusual or creative penances from confession rather than the usual “say X Our fathers”, etc.

I received penance to refrain from liquids except water for 24 hours. An interesting one!
 
Is your confessor St. Philip Neri? Sounds like a good one.

I always end up with Hail Mary’s or a decade of the rosary, nothing quite like that.
 
More recently: pray the Rosary everyday, pray two of the decades with your arms outstretched in cruciform to meditate on Christ’s suffering (this was during Lent). This was actually a lot easier compared to having to pray all five decades in this position for 3 weeks during Advent. I recognize the priest’s voice, and he’s the same one who assigned these two penances. Those FSSP priests don’t mess around!
 
Goodness, I thought getting just 1 rosary was a heavy penance. I’m going to have to be careful if I confess to an FSSP priest.
 
I’v gotten pray the rosary and ask for help when I need it.
 
Sounds like some pretty stern penances here. I seldom get even a decade of the rosary. But one priest once asked me to do something kind for someone today. What? It was 5:00pm, with Mass following and I went straight home where I lived alone. Who was I going to be kind to?
 
He’s the only one in particular that I have had assign this penance. I recognize his heavy Northeastern accent, being that the parish is in Dallas! 😂
 
“Sin is selfish. Do a selfless thing for someone else.” Very productive penance.
 
The most unusual one I’ve received was to take a walk outside and thank God for the beautiful day he had made.
 
I have had ‘to do a good turn for someone’ or ‘an act of charity’ and the pray the chaplet of divine mercy (he first asked if I knew it).
My strangest penance though was to be given no penance at all.
 
I got to scrub the kitchen floor of our hall on my hands and knees. Ironically, my helper was the priest! It was excellent!
The priest and I have our best spiritual conversation on our knees
 
Fasting penance is cool, but those Rosaries sound extra harsh. I typically get, “say 3 Hail Mary’s & 3 Our Fathers”, but once I was given “Take the time to intentionally do pleasurable things for yourself, like enjoy a nice long bubble bath.” Lol, at the time I was a single working Mom of a toddler with chronic ear infections, working fulltime with about an hour each way commute - who has time for bubble baths? Lol.
 
I’ve gotten a penance to do something kind for someone. It was during Advent, so it was an especially joyful time to do nice things!
 
My confessor is very good at assinging unique and creative penances.

The one that stands out was “do something creative that reminds you that you are a beloved child of God”.

I made a little, framed, heart-shaped mirror that says “you are my Beloved” and it hangs in my prayer corner.
 
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Most interesting penance I ever got was to read the entire Bible in front of the blessed Sacrament. I can take as long as my entire life time to fulfil this task. However I want to take no longer then maybe 2 or 3 years. I read the commentary too, so it takes a real long time just to read a few chapters lol.
 
I don’t necessarily think of them as unusual or creative penances, they are more directed and personal.

I get fasting occasionally.

A few weeks ago, I got a penance to take a walk and pray for someone with every step. That one was remarkably helpful.

I’m currently in the middle of one that was designed to take a few days.

I know that some people strongly object to penances that cannot be completed immediately and have a vague ending, but I like them very much, especially when they are directly tied in to what I have confessed. I find that I return to them over and over, even when I know that I have satisfy the conditions of the penance. They bring me back and help me to turn toward God, which is what Penance ought to do.
 
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