Good morning archae0pteryx,
Thank you for requesting me to post in the answer box, and I also
thank you for a very interesting question. I learned a lot! :)
For the sake of continuity, I'll post all of my clarifications and
comments in one place. I also posted 2 additional sources of
information near the end of my answer.
OK... here we go!
Internet Question Box - by James Akin
http://www.cin.org/users/james/questions/q128.htm
"Q: I am looking for an on-line document explaining the "process and
mechanics" required for saying confession. In other words, I am
looking for an on-line document demonstrating "how" to go to
confession. Can you help?
A: Sure. Here is what you do:
Before going to confession, make an examination of conscience--that
is, make a list (mentally or on paper, if you wish) of the mortal sins
you have committed since your last confession. You may also confess
venial sins if you wish, but only mortal sins are mandatory. To help
you make an examination of conscience, many prayer books contain a
list of sins you can review.
It is also important not to be scrupulous (confusing mortal sins with
venial ones, thinking that one has to confess even very slight sins).
Get clear on the difference between mortal and venial. It will save
you a lot of trouble later, and you will have a much better developed
conscience. Failing to take the time to study and get clear on the
difference between mortal and venial sins can lead to unnecessary
scrupulous anxiety.
If this is your first confession you will need to cover the mortal
sins since you were baptized and reached the age of accountability.
(Converts who have not yet been baptized do not need to go to
confession since baptism wipes out all sins up to that point; it is
only after baptism that one needs to begin going to confession.) For
adult converts to the faith, this can mean first confession may take
awhile. That's okay; priests expect it. It is not uncommon to have
first confessions that take thirty minutes or more--but for one that
long, make an appointment in advance. Don't worry, if I could get
through it, you certainly can. Also, be sure to keep in mind the next
point...
If you can't remember all your mortal sins, don't worry; they'll be
forgiven anyway. So long as you were willing to confess them if you
remembered them, that's enough. It's if you were to deliberately
withhold a sin that a problem kicks in. If you remember a mortal sin
you forgot to confess, you were already forgiven in your last
confession, just remember to mention it in your next one.
Try to estimate how many times you committed the different sins. If
the best you can do is just to say "I did that a lot," that's okay,
but if you can name specific numbers--e.g., "I killed three
people"--do so.
Also think of particular circumstances that could increase or decrease
your level of accountability. For example, if you were very afraid at
the time, if you were drunk, if you wronged one of your parents rather
than a random stranger, or if you weren't certain whether something
was wrong.
In addition to your examination of conscience, you also need to find
out when confessions are heard at a local parish or contact a priest
and ask to make an appointment. Under canon law, priests cannot refuse
any reasonable request for the sacraments, so don't think you're
putting him out by asking. It's part of his job. Just don't ask him to
immediately hear your confession at time he is otherwise busily
engaged (e.g., thirty seconds before Mass begins). You also don't have
to go to your own parish. Any priest who has faculties in your diocese
(which should be almost all active priests, including visiting ones)
can hear your confession.
Confession can be heard anywhere you are comfortable--inside a
confessional or outside one, with you behind a screen or face-to-face
with the priest. If you are sick or can't get out of the house, you
can even make an appointment for the priest to come to your home.
Now for the confession itself...
1. When you get to confession, make some sign to signify that you are
ready to begin, such as making the sign of the cross out loud: "In the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen"
(saying something is especially important if you are confessing behind
a screen; the priest may not be able to tell when you are ready
otherwise, since he can't see your body language).
2. The priest will begin by blessing you. He may also read a
Scripture passage and say a few words of encouragement and
exhortation.
3. Then you begin talking. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned" is
traditional, but there is no set formula of words. Then you tell the
priest approximately how long it has been since your last confession.
If it has been a long time and there was a reason (e.g., "I had been
in a different church for several years" or "I was in prison and there
was no Catholic chaplain"), let him know.
4. Now you name the sins you need to confess (see above). You should
also name any relevant circumstances (not all circumstances are
relevant; don't go into volumes of detail unless the priest asks for
it) that might increase or decrease your level of accountability for
the sin. To the extent possible, confess the number of times the sin
was committed.
- As you do this, the priest may stop you at various points and
ask for you to clarify something.
- He may also help you train your conscience by saying, for
example, "That's not a mortal sin" or "That is a mortal sin." And he
may give advice about how to avoid sins or deal with temptations in
the future.
- Don't think of the a sacrament as a psychotherapy session. You
don't need to go into great detail. It is sufficient simply to name
the sins with the relevant circumstances.
- If the priest throws in bits of psychological advice, that's
great, but if you want a true counseling session, make an appointment
with him separate from confession. A counseling session has a
different purpose than confession, and it is good to keep the two
separate. Psychological counseling is to help your mental health;
confession is for divine reconciliation--to improve your spiritual
health. The two are related, but not the same, and so they follow
different methods.
- If you are not sure what you need to confess or if you need
psychological advice, it is a good idea to make an appointment with
him to have a counseling session followed by confession.
5. When you are done confessing, tell the priest. He will then assign
you a penance, which you do after you leave the confessional.
- Don't be afraid of penances. They are often light since they are
a token expressing that you are sorry for what you did and that you
would like to make up for it.
- They are not meant to pay the eternal price of the sin. Jesus
did that for you; you as a finite human cannot pay eternal prices.
Instead, they are meant to let you express your sorrow and gratitude
by shouldering part of the temporal results of the sin and thus to
learn your lesson by experience and not only by "head knowledge."
- Priests try to match the penance to the sin (e.g., if you stole
something, give it back), but often this is not possible. In that case
they usually assign prayers for you to say.
- You may make suggestions concerning what you would like to have
as a penance. For example, I often ask to be assigned Bible reading.
Priests like it when you do this since it helps them know what
penances would be meaningful to you.
6. Now you make an act of contrition--i.e., you tell God you are
sorry for what you have done and that you intend to make amends. There
is no mandatory formula of words for this, but a common one is: "Lord
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
7. Now the priest absolves you, saying:
"God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his
Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among
us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church,
may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
You say, "Amen." He then gives you a blessing of dismissal, and that's it.
You thank him, leave the confessional, and, as soon as it is
reasonable, do the penance you were assigned. However, you were
reconciled from the moment of the absolution, when reconciliation was
extended to you."
=========
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
http://www.antiochian.org/wordhtml/200406_12.html
Confession
Page 12, Right side of page:
4. How does Confession work ... what do I do ... what does the Priest do?
(continued on page 13):
http://www.antiochian.org/wordhtml/200406_13.html
=========
The Roman Catholic Observer - Confession
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/romewatch/page7.html
***article is tongue in cheek with a lot of facts thrown in***
"In every Roman Catholic church you will find one or more small boxes,
usually located in the corners, that arouses the curiosity of
Protestants and the fear of Catholics. The typical configuration has
three compartments. The center compartment usually has a door, and a
single lightbulb inside. This is the priest's compartment. On either
side you will find smaller compartments, usually adorned with a heavy
dark-colored curtain. These are the 'penitents's compartments, and
they don't have lights inside. A thin wall separates the priest's
compartment from the penitent's compartments.
At face level (with the penitent on his or her knees, and the priest
on his behind), there is a sliding partition with numerous holes. The
partition is supposed to give you a glimpse of the priest (and give
him a glimpse of you) while blocking both sight and sound from the
penitent on the opposite side. Sight is definitely blocked, but seldom
the sound. You can usually hear what the person on the other side is
'confessing' with little difficulty.
The Roman Catholic custom is practiced, usually, on Saturday
afternoons and evenings, and on the day before a Catholic holy day.
The priest enters his area, closes the door, and shuts off the light.
In many places, this action also turns on a light above the priest's
compartment to let folks know he is open for business. Catholics enter
one side, kneel down facing the priest, and wait their turn, which is
signaled by the priest sliding the hole-filled partition open. The
person then begins to 'make his or her confession.'
Confession can, of course, be had at any time of day or night, at the
request of the penitent. Such confessions are generally used by the
uptight, over-scrupulous catholic who thinks he or she has just
committed a mortal sin. The fear of hell, inculcated by Rome's
teachings, drives many a Catholic to waken the poor priest at 2:00
a.m., right after committing a big sin, such as fornication, adultery
and so forth. My priest friends tell me that more than ninety per cent
of such 'emergency' confessions deal with sex-related events. This is
consistent with reports from ex-Catholics.
Once inside the confessional, the penitent starts by saying a formula
prayer, invoking a blessing from the priest about to hear his or her
sins. The penitent also asks Mary, a couple of Apostles, and an
assortment of dead people to forgive their sins. The penitent then
recounts the sins committed since their last confession, starting with
the big ones (mortal sins) and ending with as many small ones (venial
sins) as can be recalled. The priest, following instructions from
Rome, often questions the penitent about certain areas of sinfulness.
The questioning typically last much longer for females than for males,
and involves subjects and actions that would make a hooker blush. If
husbands and fathers had any idea of the grilling their wife or
daughter gets from the man in the confessional, I suspect that many a
priest would find himself beaten to a pulp behind the rectory on a
dark night!
After the confessing and grilling, the priest, who thinks he is
another Christ (Alter Christos), gives 'absolution' in which he says
something on the order of 'ego te absolve' (I forgive you..."), and
"Go in peace." The penitent is sent away with some penance to perform,
usually in the form of some rote prayers such as saying a few
rosaries, or making the stations of the cross.
For the Roman Catholic, confession, also called 'penance,' is the
place where sins are forgiven. Rome also refers to confession, or
penance, as 'the sacrament of reconciliation,' and 'the sacrament of
confession,' and 'the sacrament of conversion.'"
=========
Going to Confession in the Middle Ages - Magistra Nicolaa de Bracton
(Susan Carroll-Clark)
http://members.tripod.com/nicolaa5/articles/confess.html
"Most people, even non-Catholics, know what going to confession
involves. One travels to a church, in a corner of which is situated a
confessional booth. In the booth sits a priest. The penitent enters
the other side of the booth and says "Bless me Father, for I have
sinned. It has been three months since my last confession." He or she
cannot see the priest, and vice versa. The priest listens to the
confession and assigns an appropriate penance. Because the Catholic
Church is so old, we sometimes assume this is the way confessions have
always been done. But while some aspects of confession have not
changed, others have radically."
=========
How To Go To Confession
http://www.catholic.org/frz/examen/confession_how.htm
"1. The Priest will often begin with the Sign of the Cross or a
greeting and blessing.
2. The Penitent begins by saying ?Bless me Father for I have sinned,
it has been ____ (number of days, weeks, months, etc.) since my last
confession. These are my sins?.
3. Confess all mortal sins committed since your last confession by
kind and number (this is important). Hold NOTHING back. You may also
confess any venial sins.
4. At the end of your confession say these or similar words: ?For
these and all the sins of my life I am sorry.? By this you tell the
priest that you are finished. Otherwise, he might think you are still
thinking or even trying to summon the courage to tell him "the big
one".
5. The Priest may ask questions for clarification or give you some
counsel on a point from your confession. Answer briefly.
6. The Priest will give you a penance. Listen to it carefully and
remember it. You can refuse a penance if it is too vague or
impossible to do in a reasonable time.
7. The Penitent makes an act of contrition in these or similar words:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest
all of my sins because of Thy just punishments. But most of all
because they offend Thee my God, who art all good and deserving of all
my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no
more, and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen. Memorize a good
act of contrition.
8. The Priest will give you absolution in Latin or in your common
language. (The words necessary in English for forgiveness are ?I
absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit?). Do not leave until the priest has given
you absolution. He will not refuse you absolution unless it is clear
that you are not sorry for your sins or you have no intention of
amending your life."
=========
Christianity - Catholicism - How To Go To Confession
http://catholicism.about.com/cs/sacraments/ht/howconfess.htm
"3. Find out when confession is and go. You can also ask an
appointment with your priest. Begin with reciting the sign of the
cross. Say "Bless me Father for I have sinned" and say how long it has
been since your last confession.
4. Tell your confession. Bring a list if you think you'll forget.
Give an honest and sincere confession. Afterwards, say an Act of
Contrition. Your priest will help you if you forget.
5. Receive absolution from the priest. It is the formal prayer
asking for God's mercy.
6. Perform your penance right after confession."
=========
Procedure for Confession
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/confession-procedure.html
"The procedure is pretty simple. You enter and either kneel down
behind a screen or sit in a chair facing the priest. The priest might
welcome you or read a Scripture or say a prayer, but once he is
through, simply say, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my
first confession." (The priest might volunteer to help you or you
might want to ask him to.) Then you say your sins. The best way is
to go over the Ten Commandments: E.g. I swore many times, I lied, I
stole something, I engaged in sex, I did not honor my mother or
father. It's not necessary to give a long history unless the priest
asks a question to clarify something. The priest will then give you a
"penance," usually some prayers to say or some action to perform. He
may ask you to say a prayer of contrition or lead you in one or have
you say the Our Father with him. Then he will extend his hand to give
you absolution. If you are facing him, he may place his hand on your
head. This might be done kneeling. When you get up, you will feel a
tremendous burden lifted from you."
=========
How to Make a Good Confession
http://www.saintaquinas.com/howto_confess.html
"Wait for your turn at the Confessional, and if you have not done so
examine your conscience
Whether you examine your conscience at home or in the church, it is
important that you honestly examine your actions since the last
confession. All mortal sins and the approximate number of times they
were committed must be confessed for a valid confession. Venial sins
do not have to be confessed, but if you desire to do so you may. If
you believe your confession will last a great deal of time (in excess
of fifteen minutes) it is advisable to schedule a private confession
with the priest. A private confession is a good idea for those who
have either left the Church, committed a sin which requires possible
counseling, or have not confessed in a long time."
[edit]
"2) Enter the Confessional and choose either a face-to-face confession
or anonymous confession
Since Vatican II, most parish churches allow the confessor to choose
between a face-to-face or anonymous confession. Usually, this is done
by dividing the confessional room into two halves separated by a grill
or curtain. If you desire an anonymous confession simply kneel down
in front of the curtain (the curtain will separate you from the
priest) and the priest will begin the confession. If you desire a
face-to-face confession, simply walk around the curtain and sit in the
chair opposite the priest. Remember that you are about to confess
your sins to Jesus Christ?s representative on earth. You confess to
Christ and the Church. Your humility, honesty, and penitence should
be tempered by this fact. Also remember that confessions are
absolutely confidential. The priest will never share your sins with
anyone else. He is instructed to keep the seal of the confessional
even under pain of death; so do not let your worries affect your
confession.
3) The priest will begin the Confession with the prayer of the Sign of the Cross
Make the sign of the cross and say, ?Forgive me Father for I have
sinned it has been [blank] days since my last confession. I accuse
myself of the following sins.?
Then tell the priest the mortal sins you have committed since your
last confession. You do not have to go into any explicit detail of
your sins unless the priest feels it is necessary. Simply tell him
the sin and the number of times you did it. If you feel it is
necessary you can tell him the circumstances. You may also ask him
for advice regarding the sin. When you are finished, tell the priest
you are sorry for your sins and ask Jesus to forgive those sins as
well as any you may have forgotten to confess.
4) The priest will briefly discuss the effects of your sins and will
offer advice and encouragement on leading a better Christian life. He
will give you a penance to perform (usually a prayer or good deed) and
may ask you to say the Act of Contrition. Finally, he will absolve
you of your sins through a prayer. At the end of his absolution he
will say, ?I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.? Make the sign of the cross as he does
this. He will then dismiss you by saying some variation of ?go in
peace.? Reply, ?Thanks be to God? and exit the confessional""
=========
Catholic Faith Refresher Course
http://groups.msn.com/CatholicFaithRefresherCourse/howtomakeagoodconfession.msnw
"A. WHAT TO DO BEFORE ENTERING THE CONFESSIONAL
Each time you go to confession it is very necessary to examine your
conscience. This is especially true of your first confession Before
confession, ask God to help you remember your sins. Then examine your
conscience. Try to remember how often you have committed each sin
since your last good confession.
Be sure to tell Almighty God that you are sorry for all these sins.
B. WHAT TO DO IN THE CONFESSIONAL
Wait until the priest opens the little window. Then say, "Bless me,
Father, for I have sinned, it is one week (or one month or whatever
length of time it is) since my last confession. These are my sins."
Name the sins and tell how many times you ha' committed each one.
After telling the priest all your sins, and how many times you have
committed each one, you should say, "I am heartily sorry for these
sins, and all the sins in my past life, especially for. .." Here name
some sins you have already confessed in previous confessions. The
priest will then ask you some questions and give you some good advice;
listen carefully.
While the priest is saying the words of forgiveness, "I forgive you
all your sins," say the Act of Contrition. Thank the priest for his
help and his absolution and leave the confessional.
C. WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU LEAVE THE CONFESSIONAL
Go into a quiet place in the Church and say your penance (the prayers
the priest gave you to say)."
=========
Additional information:
A GUIDE TO CONFESSION
http://www.ncregister.com/features/confchild.htm
"You always have the option to go to confession anonymously, that is,
behind a screen or face to face, if you so desire.
After the priest greets you in the name of Christ, make the sign of
the cross. He may choose to recite a reading from Scripture, after
which you say: "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (state
how long) since my last confession. These are my sins.""
=========
Q. How do I perform confession?
http://www.stjohnsphilly.com/faq/faq6.html
"First, the priest and penitent often exchange a greeting, or make the
sign of the cross. Then the penitent tells the priest approximately
how long it has been since his or her last confession. The penitent
then may share any fact about himself or herself that is relevant to
the confession. For example, I tell the priest that I am a member of a
religious order and a priest.
The penitent then confesses his or her sins. The sins are identified
by general type, with some indication of how frequently the sin was
committed. You don't have to include details, except when the detail
affects the gravity of the sin. For example, if a person confesses
'fighting' they might add whether this was a verbal fight, or a
physical fight, and whether injury resulted.
The priest may give words of advice or encouragement. Some priests do
this frequently, others do not. If the penitent desires a more
conversational discussion with the priest, it is best to schedule an
appointment for confession rather than to try to do this during the
scheduled times 'in the box.' The priest then gives a penance. The
penance is usually a prayer or prayers, although the priest may give a
penance of a work of charity or restitution based on the sins that
were confessed.
The penitent says an Act of Contrition. So many people are afraid to
go to confession because they cannot remember the Act of Contrition!
But even if the penitent cannot remember a single word of a memorized
prayer, the priest will help him or her with this. And anyone can just
'make up' an Act of Contrition on the spot. It just must express
sorrow for sin and an intention to try to avoid sin in the future.
Some Acts of Contrition are included at the end of this column.
The priest then says the words of absolution (forgiveness), speaking
in the name of Christ himself: 'God the Father of Mercies, through the
death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; though
the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I
absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.'
=========
Keyword search:
Now, the tricky part. After a long day at the computer, I clean all
cookies, cache, history, and temporary files before I finally go to
sleep. Because my clarifications and comments were made betwee August
22nd and August 23rd, that means I must rely on my memory in order to
post how I performed my searches!
Recalling from my memory those keywords were:
catholic confession how to perform
catholic church confession
process required say confession
confessional booth structure + location
how does confession work
catholic confession 101
confessional
=========
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
