Weirdest Penance Services

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Micki

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Over the years I’ve attended various penance services. Fortunately, I have’nt experienced anything crazy in recent years. But, back in the 80’s things were different.

Here’s the goofiest-

Three priests stood in the sactuary in front of a tall stand. On the top of the stand was a plate of sand. The penitent would approach a priest and, in the sand, print the first letter of the sin committed. So, for example, the letter “L” for lying. Of course, the priest only got the first letter. So, could I have been confessing “lying” or “lust”? I guess it didn’t matter then!!

After that I quit going to communal penance services for a LONG time.

Micki
 
the strangest was my first time at our new parish, only one priest out of several scheduled showed up for Lenten penance service. He directed everyone to examine their conscience, distill everything they had to confess into one word, then to come up, and tell him that one word. At least we were given individual absolution. We all made an act of contrition and penance (the Our Father) together afterwards. Believe me it took all my English language skills to come up with a good word that encompassed everything-similar to supercallafragilisticexpialidocious.
 
Some years ago in the diocese of Richmond they had everyone pick up a rock out of a basket. After the service you were supposed to put the rock back in the basket, symbolizing that you are no longer carrying the burden of sin around. :whacky:
 
Do these services replace the regular one-on-one confession? :hmmm:
  • Kathie :bowdown:
 
Bless me Father for I have sinned. I have committed 100 Mortal sins.

Ok my son, say 1 Hail Mary, now go in peace your sins are forgiven.

Gee, thanks Father!
 
It was a Sunday afternoon about a year ago.
The confirmation class of young people and their sponsors met in church. There was little heat so we stood together in the pews with our jackets on.

The Diocese of Rochester requires that before the Sacrament of Confirmation one must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Instead of individual confession the pastor of our parish gave a blanket penance service. The priest asked those receiving confirmation to turn to their sponsors and confess sins. The sponsors were asked to turn to the confirmatee and confess sins. Then everyone suppose to forgive each other…all in about 5 minutes or less. The priest did not offer himself for individual confession.
Terrible…:mad:
We then practiced for Confirmation which was to be held 3 days later.
Later…the following Monday morning…I had the person I was sponsoring make an appt. for a real Sacrament of Reconciliation.
I had a word with the offending priest…he felt that most people were ill equiped to go to confession…he felt that most people don’t know what they are doing…I thought the priest was full of hogwash.
 
I was going to post my weirdest penance service experience, but I sure can’t match the ones that have already been posted! 😃
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harinkj:
Do these services replace the regular one-on-one confession? :hmmm:
  • Kathie :bowdown:
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They’re not supposed to. In a proper penance service, the service itself is designed to help you examine your conscience. This is followed by individual confession to a priest, often with several priests stationed around the church (the ones I’ve been to, you can choose between the traditional confessional box or face-to-face).

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The first time I went (two years after first Communion, yeah) I didn’t know what I was doing. The priest asked me if there was anything special I wanted to tell him about, and I shrugged and said “no, not really.”
 
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Micki:
Over the years I’ve attended various penance services. Fortunately, I have’nt experienced anything crazy in recent years. But, back in the 80’s things were different.

Here’s the goofiest-

Three priests stood in the sactuary in front of a tall stand. On the top of the stand was a plate of sand. The penitent would approach a priest and, in the sand, print the first letter of the sin committed. So, for example, the letter “L” for lying. Of course, the priest only got the first letter. So, could I have been confessing “lying” or “lust”? I guess it didn’t matter then!!

After that I quit going to communal penance services for a LONG time.

Micki
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Maybe your “L” was for Long. :rolleyes:
 
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krazykatlady:
Some years ago in the diocese of Richmond they had everyone pick up a rock out of a basket. After the service you were supposed to put the rock back in the basket, symbolizing that you are no longer carrying the burden of sin around. :whacky:
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I would’ve been tempted to chuck a rock at one of the priest’s heads, symbolizing that I think they have rocks in their heads. :dancing:
 
I can say that the strangest (but still legit) penance service I went to was on a college retreat. We were scheduled to leave the student center to go to an area camp with cabins for the weekend, but we got snowed in. So we ended up sleeping at the student center, but the nearby Lutheran student center was gracious enough to let us use their facilities for the rest of the retreat.

When it came time for the reconciliation service, we used their chapel. It’s rounded, and we stood in a big circle around the altar, passing around questions for examination of conscience. Then they darkened the room and (duck-duck-goose style) tapped people on the shoulder to go write their sins on an index card and go confess to one of the priests. Every priest had a coffee can where you burned your sins after absolution.

It does make me smile everytime I think, “Yeah, I had Catholic confession in a Lutheran church!” Maybe someday, not too far off, we really can be one again.
 
Wow, these are interesting stories! We had a cheesy penance service once with a priest that was only here a couple of years because he caused such an uproar. He set up a huge widescreen TV in the front of the church and we watched a little media presentation about reconcilliation that was extremely touchy feely in nature, and more sounded like something that Leo Buscalia would put out, if anyone remembers him. They did have several priests to provide individual confession though. The TV thing was really awful though. I’d never heard of a big TV being set up in the church, it was to the right of the altar.
 
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contemplative:
It was a Sunday afternoon about a year ago.
The confirmation class of young people and their sponsors met in church. There was little heat so we stood together in the pews with our jackets on.

The Diocese of Rochester requires that before the Sacrament of Confirmation one must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Instead of individual confession the pastor of our parish gave a blanket penance service. The priest asked those receiving confirmation to turn to their sponsors and confess sins. The sponsors were asked to turn to the confirmatee and confess sins. Then everyone suppose to forgive each other…all in about 5 minutes or less. The priest did not offer himself for individual confession.
Terrible…:mad:
We then practiced for Confirmation which was to be held 3 days later.
Later…the following Monday morning…I had the person I was sponsoring make an appt. for a real Sacrament of Reconciliation.
I had a word with the offending priest…he felt that most people were ill equiped to go to confession…he felt that most people don’t know what they are doing…I thought the priest was full of hogwash.
Click to expand...
Well, when I was seven years old, I was ill equipped to go to confession, I didn’t know what I was doing – and that did NOT stop my church from making ME learn how to make a good confession. I believe your hogwash theory is correct.👍
 
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ChemicalBean:
I can say that the strangest (but still legit) penance service I went to was on a college retreat. We were scheduled to leave the student center to go to an area camp with cabins for the weekend, but we got snowed in. So we ended up sleeping at the student center, but the nearby Lutheran student center was gracious enough to let us use their facilities for the rest of the retreat.

When it came time for the reconciliation service, we used their chapel. It’s rounded, and we stood in a big circle around the altar, passing around questions for examination of conscience. Then they darkened the room and (duck-duck-goose style) tapped people on the shoulder to go write their sins on an index card and go confess to one of the priests. Every priest had a coffee can where you burned your sins after absolution.

It does make me smile everytime I think, “Yeah, I had Catholic confession in a Lutheran church!” Maybe someday, not too far off, we really can be one again.
Click to expand...
Wow! This sounds really eerie…
 
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cardenio:
The first time I went (two years after first Communion, yeah) I didn’t know what I was doing. The priest asked me if there was anything special I wanted to tell him about, and I shrugged and said “no, not really.”
Click to expand...
Of course you know now that your were suppose to receive the Sacrament of Penance before your First Holy Communion.

“Special”?!?!
I have heard of ‘specials of the day’ at diners…‘special surprises’ at birthday parties…but never ‘special sins’ :rolleyes:
 
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contemplative:
It was a Sunday afternoon about a year ago.
The confirmation class of young people and their sponsors met in church. There was little heat so we stood together in the pews with our jackets on.

The Diocese of Rochester requires that before the Sacrament of Confirmation one must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Instead of individual confession the pastor of our parish gave a blanket penance service. The priest asked those receiving confirmation to turn to their sponsors and confess sins. The sponsors were asked to turn to the confirmatee and confess sins. Then everyone suppose to forgive each other…all in about 5 minutes or less. The priest did not offer himself for individual confession.
Terrible…:mad:
We then practiced for Confirmation which was to be held 3 days later.
Later…the following Monday morning…I had the person I was sponsoring make an appt. for a real Sacrament of Reconciliation.
I had a word with the offending priest…he felt that most people were ill equiped to go to confession…he felt that most people don’t know what they are doing…I thought the priest was full of hogwash.
Click to expand...
With a service like that, it would be no surprise if people didn’t know what they are doing…you would think he’d want them to know as a part of their confirmation prep. He probably screwed up a few adults in the process too. Maybe the pastor ought to fulfill his responsibility by getting involved in the RE program at his parish then and dispense with the silliness. For some reason, this seems like more of a violation even than the scenarios with rocks and sand painting. I’m sure the sponsors were upstanding citizens and all, but did he really mean for them to confess their “adult” sins to their 14 (?) teen year old confirmation candidates. And what does that teach the teenagers about the sacrament?
 
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contemplative:
Of course you know now that your were suppose to receive the Sacrament of Penance before your First Holy Communion.

“Special”?!?!
I have heard of ‘specials of the day’ at diners…‘special surprises’ at birthday parties…but never ‘special sins’ :rolleyes:
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Ohh, yes, I know that now. They didn’t tell us back in second grade (communion) or fourth grade (confession).

For the record, I have been baptized. Well, as far as I know… I guess I don’t have any memory of it… heh

I agree. Sins aren’t special. But what do you tell a clueless fourth grader?
 
Here is another…no more…thank Goodness…

Not too long ago …3 years?

My DH and I were alone in the choir loft for an evening penance service during lent. The DH volunteered to play the keyboard and I was turning music pages for him.

We all sat quietly at one point during the penance service to listen to instructions from the priest. Actually there were two priests there…a younger one and a much older one. The much older one was legally blind and needed assistance getting around.

The instructions were to form two lines in front of these two priests. Everyone there was to come forward one at a time and tell the priest just one sin… then go back to the pew.

I had no intention of being more than a page turner that evening but the DH had plans on trying this one out. Naturally I felt bad that my DH was doing it this way…and I know what I said to my DH next was not very nice at all…but I chuckled about it… I think out of frustration…:o

I whispered in my DH’s ear…maybe you better go to the older priest who can’t see you and tell him your absolutely worst sin. He won’t know who you are because he can’t see you. :o

Anyway - both priests offered themselves for private confessions after this silliness…and that is good. No one had to go ‘one on one’ and it seemed that very few did.
 
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cardenio:
The first time I went (two years after first Communion, yeah) I didn’t know what I was doing. The priest asked me if there was anything special I wanted to tell him about, and I shrugged and said “no, not really.”
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I can so picture this in my mind. I think it’s pretty cute actually. Your response anyway. If the good Father had asked a different question He might have gotten a different answer.

Topic? I really can’t remember details of any of the goofy penance services (and they were goofy by definition with very few exceptions.)

Weirdest penance? Drink more water.
 
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cardenio:
I agree. Sins aren’t special. But what do you tell a clueless fourth grader?
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I am not sure.
I imagine I would say “Go ahead and confess your sins now” That seems straightforward enough.

My first confessions were heard in a curtained room in back of church. The priest was hard of hearing and we all had to “speak up” in order to be heard by the priest…all that while my line of peers stood on the other side of the curtain…:o
 
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