The Sacraments: An Interdisciplinary and Interactive Study
IMAGES OF RECONCILIATION
What today is called the sacrament of reconcilation developed in the early Middle Ages as a practice for people seeking spiritual direction from monks, who at that time were mostly laymen living in community. An earlier process of public reconciliation for notorious sinners had by then fallen into disuse. By the 13th century, when many monks were ordained, church officials approved the private practice and restricted its performance to priests. Officially known as the sacrament of penance before Vatican II, it is still popularly referred to as confession.
The following images depict the sacrament from the Middle Ages to today. Unless otherwise noted, the rituals are those of the Roman Catholic Church.
Confession to a medieval monk being blessed by an angel
Detail from the baptismal font of St. John the Baptist Church in Badingham, England.
The Sacrament of Penance
(19th century colored engraving)
Older Catholics may remember going to confession on Saturday afternoons,
especially when planning to receive holy communion at mass the next day.
Soldiers did not want to die without knowing that their sins were forgiven,
so chaplains were always in demand during World War II.
In response to unscrupulous priests taking advantage of women who confessed sexual sins,
the Council of Trent in the 16th century mandated that a screen hide the identity of the pentent.
Churches built before 1700 had to add wooden booths called confessionals
to comply with the council's decree.
Older churches customarily located confessionals in unused wall space.
Later churches often had built-in confessionals,
with either curtains or doors for privacy.
Modern churches almost always had built-in confessonals.
Even free-standing confessionals could be fairly modern in appearance.
The crucial moment in the traditional ritual came when the priest
absolved the sins of the penitent and asked for God's blessing.
The Catholic bishops at the Second Vatican Council in 1963 called for
a revision of the church's sacramental rites to make them more up to date.
Penance was revisioned as a sacrament of reconciliation with God,
much like the early monastic practice that had developed into an ecclesastical rite.
The use of a screen during confession is now optional,
but some people still prefer privacy . . .
. . . as does this woman availing herself of the sacrament
in an informal confessional in Vietnam.
Reconciliation rooms are provided in most Catholic churches,
but a kneeler and screen are provided for those who want them.
This is the reconciliation room of a parish in Nebraska.
Some confessionals have been converted into reconciliaton rooms.
Other confessionals have been converted to different uses.
Catholics today may go to confession less frequently than they did before,
preferring to participate in the sacrament on special occasions.
These folks in Guatemala are waiting for the priest to arrive.
These people are going to confession after making a pilgrimage to a shrine in
This is a confessional for visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica in
indicate that the priest can hear confessions in Spanish and Italian.
Priests interacting with penitents on the occasion of the pope’s 2008 visit to
Many parishes hold communal penance services during Advent and Lent.
Notice the chairs that will be used for the individual confession of sins later in the service.
The 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany,
drew young people and priests from all over the world.
Many paricipants took advantage of the opportunity
for face-to-face confession with a priest.
You might think they are chatting after mass at the monastery,
but since the priest is wearing the stole over his shoulders,
they may be participating in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Normally, the stole worn for the sacrament is purple, . . .
. . . but this woman has asked the visiting priest to hear her confession
before he begins the eucharistic celebration at her mission church.
And this woman is receiving the priest's absolution
during his visit to her in the hospital.
Orthodox Christians have never used a confessional for the sacrament,
although a screen is sometimes provided for privacy,
as can be seen in this19th century painting.
Sometimes the priest covers the head of the penitent,
as he does in this photo, taken in Romania.
The stole is also used for blessing,
as seen in this photo from Ontario, Canada.
The sacrament usually takes place in the vicinity of the altar,
while gazing prayerfully at an icon or at the cross, . . .
. . . or in the presence of the scriptures.
Orthodox priests, like Catholic priests,
are always ready when someone feels the need
to make a good confession.
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