Impromptu Confessions Over Cocktails…

… Did you know that you can ask a priest to hear your confession anywhere, not just that one hour of the week on Saturday evening or by special appointment. Anywhere, any time. Like at bars, in restrooms, parked cars, over dinner. I’ve heard some pretty humorous stories about these impromptu confessions but I’ve always thought it terribly gauche to impose on a priest when he’s off the clock and out of his box. Like those people who accost doctors at cocktail parties and ask them to diagnose their festering suspicious looking sore, I never dared to ask a priest to hear my confession unless it was during the allotted and approved times.

I always thought that priests needed time to spiritually prepare to hear a confession. Say a prayer, put on a stole, light a candle… whatever. Never in my wildest dreams did I think or expect them to be able to drop what they are currently doing to attend to my wicked soul. Turns out, it’s perfectly kosher to ask a priest to hear confession regardless of the current circumstances. Or maybe this particular priest is just kindly and patient. I still think there are some boundaries that probably exist. I’ve never been good with boundaries.