How does confession work in the Orthodox Church?

[RKO]

As you may know, I am a former RC contemplating conversion. I just read a thread about confession in the OC, and I THINk what I read is that there is no "private confession." I am assuming that means you guys don't go into the box, like RCs do or used to. Some RCs do some don't.

Is that what you're referring to? How does confession happen in the OC?

For the record, I'm not worried about it. As a catholic, I did both, face to face, and in the box...

 

[Mary of Bethany]

In my OCA parish, there are general times for confessions, such as after Vespers on Wednesdays & Saturdays, or you can schedule a time, especially if you want to speak privately with the priest beforehand. And sometimes he will hear confession before an icon in his office.

But generally, there will be a line of people standing in the nave and when it is your turn you go up to the iconoostas and stand or kneel in front of the icon of Christ, with the priest next to you, bent close so he can hear, and he puts hiis stole over your head, prays the prayer before confession and says something like "what do you have to tell the Lord today?"

Afterward he may give some advice. Or a small obedience for you, to help in your struggle. Then he prays the prayer of absolution, removes the stole and gives a blessing.

There is usually someone reading prayers aloud while people are confessing, to help with privacy.

 

[Dorothea]

Well, there'sa little variance among jurisdictions and parishes, but I'll tell you how it's done at my church, which I'll be going to shortly for liturgy and then confession. My priest and I sit on the front pew facing the icon of Christ. I confess my sins and usually Father will advise me if I need it, which I usually do, and then, at the end we go over to the solea and I kneel in front of the icon of Christ and Father puts his stole over my head and does the prayers of forgiveness from God given to him through him.

Sometimes, not too often, people have done confession in his office. I have a couple of times. Usually if the church has too many people in the nave.

Also, we do not usually confess around other people. It's almost always just the priest and the person in the nave with the doors shut from the narthex.

 

[ProScribe]

Is that what you're referring to? How does confession happen in the OC?

In the Western Rite a certain priest took me into the main hall of an orthodox church ~ we both sat in a pew and I confessed to the orthodox priest in front of a Western style Iconostasis - after finishing confession the priest placed his hands on my head in the name of the Holy Trinity then I was dismissed with the sign of the cross.

 

[RKO]

Thanks. It doesn't sound all that different. Maybe even more private than some in the RCC...

 

[ArmyMatt]

yeah, at my home parish, it's a sit down with the priest in front of the icon of Christ, and it is done very quietly between the penitent and the priest, and it normally follows prayers, confession, advice/penance, absolution, and blessing.

 

[Antony in Tx]

We do the front pew, facing the Icon of Christ. What is abundantly clear is that the confession is to The Lord, and not to any human. Father is there only as a guide and advisor. He is like the physician who can advise and recommend treatment, but the relationship is with God.

 

[Mariya116]

We have a Catholic-type kneeling bench to the right of the south door to the altar, and penitents come up there to talk with Father. We also have General Confession every month.