Confessions this Lent
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    Along with the neighboring diocese, my diocese held a Confession promotion this Lent. Bus ads proclaimed The Light Is On For You. All parishes held confessions every Wednesday night from 6:30-8 pm. This promotion in Arlington and Washington (dc area) was also held in Boston, I believe, and perhaps in other places.

    Judging from the lines at our parish and at the neighboring parish, Confession is making a huge comeback. The Wednesday crowds were impressive and yet the other scheduled confession times--my parish has a dozen a week--were also crowded.

    I'd imagine some of the priests felt sort of clobbered. I mean, it's not like they've had a lot of time to spare on their calendars. But I can't help feeling very excited. The sacramental life is a unity, and there has been something off-balance without a vigorous habit of confession among the faithful. So this sort of thing is just great!
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    Kathy,
    That's great to hear! Your parish has been a leader in frequent confession times through a few pastorates now. My parish expanded confession times, convenient to the popular Saturday morning and Monday evening Mass times. Do you have confessions on Sundays too? Some of the ares TLMs have confessions right before Sunday Mass. It helps to make the times more accessible.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    We have 10 am confessions on Sunday. Again, it's really generous of the priests to do. It has to be a conscious priority.

    The parish to the north has started daily confessions immediately after the noon Mass.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    The promotion has been beneficial here in Boston too, with penitents taking advantage of the less-rushed weekday atmosphere, and the Archdiocese plans to repeat the project in Advent. (I suppose individual pastors might decide to continue some weekday confessions times too, but I haven't heard of any cases yet.)
  • OlbashOlbash
    Posts: 314
    I noticed that the lines were much shorter at the "drive-thru absolution hut" in downtown Boston (a/k/a St. Anthony's Shrine on Arch St., which offers the sacrament about 50 hrs/wk). One might conclude from this phenomenon that folks would avail themselves of the sacrament at their local parish, if only it were offered. (Incidentally, my parish in the middle of nowhere in the outskirts of the Archdiocese of Boston offers confessions at all sorts of strange times, which is awfully generous.)
  • Claire H
    Posts: 368
    Wow, thank you for that report! It's very encouraging to hear. I work as a CRE (Coordinator of Religious Education), and sometime it can seem like an uphill battle to convey the importance of the sacramental life to so many "fringe" parishioners. The bus ads sound like an ingenious idea. Our diocese did join up with a few nearby to do "Catholics Come Home" since Advent, and I'm curious to see the outcome (how many Catholics came into the Church at Easter, and/or a rise in Mass attendance)...
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