Greek Orthodoxy and Confessions

I'll come in on this - even though I'm not Orthodox

I have, as most folk here know, a good friend who happens to be an Orthodox Priest monk and strangely enough this very topic came up in conversation with him last year.

He'd been called to a sick person in his community and offered her Confession and she told him she had never made one - and she was 86 and had been Communing regularly . I expressed my surprise and he said this was very common and then surprised me even more , when he said he reckoned this came about because not all Greek Orthodox priests are permitted to hear Confessions. He now teaches a lot about Confession and has found that people in his Community are now coming to Confession on a regular basis [ not yet before each time they Receive ].

I suppose if a travelling Confessor comes to a rural Community very very occasionally , then yes Confession becomes something that is just not practiced - a pity because I personally , though I'm uncomfortable with it , find it very very helpful.

There may be historical roots, but fast forward to today and the greeks do an aweful job promoting confession. I would say most of the laity don't even know its a sacrament.

just because they are not as regular in practice as a whole does not mean that has to be that way for you. if you don't like it, I say schedule on your own with your confessor. who knows? maybe it will catch.

St Herman's Ghost said:

Why isn't confession a more prominent thing in our parishes compared to others like Russian or whatever? Like I never do confession and it's not really a thing really at my parish.

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Welcome to CF, and welcome to TAW!!!

I have been told that it was (historically) caused by situations where the laity received the Eucharist much less frequently, and so as a result, Confession was also done less frequently.

(That's what I was told anyway.)

Now we (most of us) have access to the Eucharist often, but Confession hasn't caught back up. I've read some teachers who actually don't promote it frequently since there are words of reconciliation included and they say it is for one who is excommunicated. As Anhelyna mentioned, not all Greek priests can hear confessions, so some parishes have no one to hear them. We do have a traveling confessor that visits our parish usually twice a year (though maybe not this year). I was speaking with someone the other day and our parish is unique - our priest is from the area, and they all remember him when he was young, so many of the people are not comfortable going to him for confession. (Which is a shame, he is a wonderful Confessor, and some of them don't even know it.)

(Just some thoughts, as I don't actually know the answer to your question.)

Be that as it may, I have spoken with him about frequency, and he assured me that I should come as often as I feel a need. He reminds the faithful on a regular basis, and encourages them to come, and really STRONGLY says they NEED to come at minimum twice a year, but he does encourage more frequent confession. My SF has said that he wants me to go every 4-6 weeks, and I asked Father and he is perfectly willing to do that and schedules quickly for me anytime I ask.

I wouldn't worry about what everyone else does, if it were me (and I don't in fact!). As Matt said, maybe it will catch on? Though so little is said about confession, I'm not sure - it seems to be almost taboo to talk about.

If one of the priests back home is to be believed, it would be the same reason for a shortage of priests in the Greek Archdiocese, "They push their kids to be bankers and lawyers, but only the one who hasn't done anything with his life becomes a priest".
He was originally ordained in the GOARCH, stayed for little less than ten years, and switched to the OCA.

E.C. said:

If one of the priests back home is to be believed, it would be the same reason for a shortage of priests in the Greek Archdiocese, "They push their kids to be bankers and lawyers, but only the one who hasn't done anything with his life becomes a priest".
He was originally ordained in the GOARCH, stayed for little less than ten years, and switched to the OCA.

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That's difficult to believe applied to the priests I know well.

And the sentiments of the older group in my parish are to be very supportive of the ones who are hoped will be priests.

I think those families who are close to the church and whose kids grew up participating in the youth programs of the GOARCH probably are more inclined to go to seminary.
I don't think the mentality that one'has done nothing with his life so he may as well become a priest" is accurate,, but it is very true that many greek parents want their kids to become bankers and lawyers.
There is actually quite the hippocrisy where greeks will complain on the one hand about corporatism and wall street and on the other hand pray to God their kids become a wall street hot shot or some CEO at whatever the cost.

Ya know, my priest finished med school in Romania, came to the US and took a job as a medical advisor for a major pharmaceutical company and rose to a level of executive management. He married a successful architect, and then and only then took a leave of absence from his job to go to seminary. On his return, he has returned to his management job, and became our full time priest (two full time jobs, plus a family) and in about 8 years overseen us raising the money to design, build, and move into our new Bynzantine style sanctuary from the old metal prefab building we'd been in for almost 20 years. Yeah, I'd say he's somebody who "has done nothing with his life so he may as well become a priest". I know several other priests who were highly accomplished before becoming a priest. One who comes to mind is a guy who was an aerospace engineer for about 15 years (worked with my dad on the Star Wars program) before going to seminary. I just don't see that. Maybe in the old country, but not here in the U.S.

I've definitely known a number of second career priests. And they didn't take their second career as a priest after being mediocre at their first career, if you know what I mean. I've also, of course, known first career priests who were excellent because they were well and truly called to be priests as their first and only vocation. And a couple of the priests I have known who would rank toward the top (if it were proper to rank them) are Greek (and indeed the Greek priests I know are top notch).