The Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Orthodox Churches

[pax]

Is the Orthodox method of celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation the same as the Catholic way.  I'm assuming there are bound to be differences in the prayers used, but other than that what would the differences (if any) be?

[jukesk9]

From my understanding of various FAQ websites I've read concering the Greek Orthodox Church, members are encouraged to select one priest as their confessor (right term?) and stick with that one priest. They are encouraged to make confessions face to face rather than in a private confessional.

If I've misunderstood what I've read, please forgive me.  I do not mean to misrepresent the beliefs of our Orthodox brethren.  If I am wrong, by all means feel free to correct me. 

[brewmama]

I can only speak for Western Rite Orthodoxy, which is where I partake in confession. We stand in the church, facing the icon of Christ. I think the prayers are very similar to Catholic ones, Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been ... since my last confession.......
My priest does not give penance as in so many Our Fathers or Hail Marys, but in extra prayers or psalms or Bible reading, or whatever may fit the occasion.
I think in the Eastern Rite the penitent kneels by the priest in the church, but I'm really not sure of the rubrics.

[pax]

Thanks for the responses

[CopticOrthodox]

We have no confessionals, it is done face to face. This is because it's not something to be done anonymously, our Father of Confession must be able to guide us as we progress spiritually, and guide us through problems we are having. We're only allowed to have one father of confession, but it's ok to confess to another priest if he's away or something. There is a stronger emphasis on confessing not to the priest, but to Christ, witnessed by the preist, and then being forgiven not by the priest, but by Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit through the priest. We make no distinction between "mortal" and "venial" sins like the Catholics, and we would never be asked to reconfess previous sins to make us feel guilty. In fact, the whole mindset of guilt and judgment is absent. We are not assigned any pennance, we have been forgiven by the grace of God, we can't earn it. The priest does not try to make us feel guilty, or scare us, that isn't his role, he's there as a doctor, we take our sins before him for healing. We also have to ask the permission of our Father of Confession for routines for prayer, fasting, and reading the Bible, to prevent pride and burnout.

[Matthias]

Bump. I certainly learnt a great deal by reading this. :)

[Markh]

In my Catholic Church we have face to face confessions.

[Matthias]

Here it is optional for Catholics to confess in a box or to a priest. I think I prefer having the option, myself.