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St. Paul, Minn.

Personal perspectives on confession

Go Deeper.

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Confessionals
Penitents can confess to a priest face-to-face or anonymously from behind a screen. Ron Draganowski of Roseville says he's a "screen person." For him, confession is about taking responsibly for his actions. "You say 'I did this. And I'm sorry I did this.' Some people think of the Catholic Church's teachings as a list of sins or rules you just can't break. But really they're a guide for healthy living. Confession is a pretty cool thing. You go in there and get forgiveness. Catholic teaching says when the priest gives you the words of absolution that those sins aren't only forgiven, they are wiped off the record. It's like an undo, kinda like the undo function in Microsoft Excel. If it were a typewriter, you'd have to use White-out and that just kinda covers it up. It's still there. But the sacrament of confession doesn't just cover it up, it wipes it away. That's why it's the best deal in town."
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel
Gallery
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Al Heebsh preparing for Feast of Lady Guadalupe
Al Heebsh, Minneapolis (pictured here preparing for the Feast of Lady Guadlupe, 1995): "I've long found the requirements to be a priest - male, unmarried, straight - to be misguided and harmful. The Church teachings on homosexuality are without a firm basis and are hateful and hurtful. The 'Lord of Love' did not come to earth to tell us to hurt people like that. A Papal encyclical reaffirming that salvation is though the Church alone, meaning all of the other good and holy people I know who aren't Catholic have no chance at salvation, pushed me to re-examine everything the church has taught me. This is what led me to question the need to confess my sins to a priest. I try to be a good person. If I wrong someone, I try to make amends. Isn't that the point? Does Jesus really care if I tell a priest? Nothing in the Gospel leads me to believe Jesus was interested in strict interpretations of rules like this. If I end up in hell for not going to confession I'll be in good company, with all of the good and holy people throughout history who happened to not be Catholic. For all my problems with the Church, it got me to where I am today. I belong to a wonderful Catholic community. My daughters go to a good Catholic school, where I know they will get a background in Christian values. I know I won't agree with some of the teachings they will hear, but I hope that one day they will examine what they have learned and search for truth themselves."
Photo courtesy of Al Heebsh
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confessionals
Penitents can confess to a priest face-to-face or anonymously from behind a screen. Ron Draganowski of Roseville says he's a "screen person." For him, confession is about taking responsibly for his actions. "You say 'I did this. And I'm sorry I did this.' Some people think of the Catholic Church's teachings as a list of sins or rules you just can't break. But really they're a guide for healthy living. Confession is a pretty cool thing. You go in there and get forgiveness. Catholic teaching says when the priest gives you the words of absolution that those sins aren't only forgiven, they are wiped off the record. It's like an undo, kinda like the undo function in Microsoft Excel. If it were a typewriter, you'd have to use White-out and that just kinda covers it up. It's still there. But the sacrament of confession doesn't just cover it up, it wipes it away. That's why it's the best deal in town."
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel
2 of 9
Susan Johnson's First Communion
Susan Johnson, Clear Lake (pictured here in her first communion dress, 1962): "I think that setting time aside to meditate and pray works well for me. When it comes to confession, I prefer it to be a private moment. I think that is why I like the communal penance service. The power of prayer in a group feels right, and having the priest there to guide my thoughts to what I might not have thought of myself, but still being allowed to keep those thoughts private. I do remember that feeling of relief I felt as a kid after a confession. Now I wonder if that feeling was the sacrament itself at work or because the whole confession thing was over. Confession has changed since I was a kid when they used the confessionals with the screens. Now you sit face to face with the priest, and it is more like a conversation with a friend, but in some ways it also makes it more difficult. It seems to take some of the mystery out of confession. It maybe felt more magical when it was dark and I didn't see who I was talking to and I could believe it was God on the other side of the screen.
Photo courtesy of Susan Johnson