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Michaela
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| Posted: June 27 2009 at 6:26pm | IP Logged
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Yes, this is a wierd question, but sometimes there is a last minute request to go to confession....even though we go at least once-a-month.
Today, my son was working in the yard when he heard the church bells ringing and wanted to go.
I had him change clothes and wash up first which made him worried that Father would be gone by the time he got there.
Do you take your clothes into consideration when going to confession? To expand on that....do you always take into consideration what your wearing when entering a church even when it's not for Mass? Would you change clothes to sit in a empty church to pray when no one is there?
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Michaela
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Red Cardigan
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| Posted: June 27 2009 at 7:20pm | IP Logged
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Michaela, I don't make my girls wear "Sunday best" for confession if we're not staying for Mass: clean and neat is all that's required. For us confession has to be planned as the church we go to for confession (not our own parish, alas) is a 20 minute drive from our house; but as it's at 3:30 and we're usually running errands in the Texas heat either before or after confession I know they'd get uncomfortable in Sunday clothes.
To tell the truth, I'm a little jealous  that you're able to make confession at least once a month and can go last minute. We go where we do b/c they're the only ones who have a whole hour for confession instead of just 1/2 hr before Sat. Mass. We went today--and didn't get to go because a visiting priest was spending ten minutes with each penitent (yep, my DH was timing it). We had arrived a few minutes early and there were only five people ahead of us, but with less than 1/2 hr to go before Fr. would have to leave to get ready for Mass and the five of us in our family STILL waiting to go (plus several more people behind us in line) we opted to try again another week.
Don't get me wrong--I'm all for good spiritual direction! But generally it seems odd if a priest uses the weekly confession slot, small as it usually is, to spend that much time with each person.
Anyway, OT rant off. But if you've got a church you can get to spur of the moment I think clean hands and face should be fine in most cases!
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SusanMc
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| Posted: June 29 2009 at 9:30am | IP Logged
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Since I go to confession on Saturday afternoons, I usually change out of my "play clothes" and into clean, modest, casual. For me that means jeans or khakis, a shirt with sleeves, brushed hair and teeth, and freshened makeup or a scrubbed face. Basically I dress as I would if I were going to see a doctor, dentist, or any other professional appointment.
FWIW, I tend to dress one step above that for Mass. Skirt or slacks--no jeans or khakis.
Most of all though, I think it is just important to go. I would love to see a line of muddy soccer kids at the confessional--I'm sure father would too.
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: June 29 2009 at 9:44am | IP Logged
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If I/we go super early in the AM.....we literally ROLL out of bed, throw on the first thing that's there, and head out.
Or if it's in the afternoon and we're working and dirty, we do go in our current clothes. My husband will change his pants or something.
LOVE the last minute confessions!!!!! I say let him go in whatever he's wearing, wash hands and head out! It's WONDERFUL that he wanted to!
Now that I think about it, it's really only for SUNDAY MASS that we put on our best. Otherwise, as long as we're modest and reasonable for a daily Mass, confession, Adoration, even Stations of the Cross......that's fine.
I guess anytime we go out into public, I *try* to make everyone reasonable.....but if it's a choice between going and not going, I wouldn't care what they are looking like for Confession.
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Erin
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| Posted: June 29 2009 at 4:09pm | IP Logged
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Like Suzanne if it is last minute we go in what we are in; although often my oldest girl prefers to change into a skirt. We never see anyone else at Confession but Our Lord and I'm sure He smiles.
If it is Fridays before Mass, well we are already dressed for Mass anyway.
To answer your last question, I would pop in for a visit regardless of what I am wearing. Dd15, pops in for a visit during her lunch hour on her work day, she is wearing pants (not her usual Church going attire) but doesn't let that stop her visiting Our Lord.
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 29 2009 at 4:38pm | IP Logged
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We generally try to change into long pants, and neat (what I call daily Mass wear) but I am not a clothes police or tyrant. It is more important that we get there. Since we try to have an open Saturday afternoon confession, it is part of our routine. Now you do have to understand that if I didn't have this general habit in place, I have a house full of boys and we would show up at the church in pants with holes, paint stains on the shirts, etc. My girls generally do not change into skirts anymore (but they are older ie graduated already or almost there), and I don't fight about it though I generally wear a skirt and they have a sense of my preference and why. We try to be in neat and clean clothes, long pants for boys, skirt for me etc. But if I have a child that actually requests - as opposed to it is routine - then we just go, no questions asked. Some of those times, I have a pretty scraggily looking boy or two. My reasoning is that the Lord is present in the Blessed Sacrament whether there is Mass or not, so we try to take some time and effort for Him. It is a small thing as a token of love. Emergencies are just that and hopefully are the exception rather than the rule. We do have an hour, lines can be quite long and we don't always get in so if someone has a request to go, we make a point of getting there at least 30 minutes before confession starts, pray and get in line early to be sure the requesting child gets in.
Most priests are also willing to make a regular appointment time so this can be scheduled to allow for more time for spiritual direction. (I suggested this once but my teens want the pretense that the priest doesn't know who they are  so we simply plan to go weekly - with occassional times we just don't make it or don't make it in. Sometimes, if the lines are really long (esp. in lent and advent or before a big feast like Divine Mercy), both priests will be available. We have been very blessed with the generosity of our very, very busy priests here.
Janet
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Topic: How do you dress for Confession?
