GO TO CONFESSION… in Cleveland! 4 March UPDATE! Not only Cleveland.

I received this from a reader:

I am visiting my company in the Cleveland Diocese this week and I heard at mass yesterday that the entire diocese, every single church, will be having confessions from 5-8pm on March 4. What a response to the call for evangelization and the spirit of repentance in the Lenten season!!! You can read more HERE.

I’m sorry that I will have already gone back to Europe (where I live), to Luxembourg, where the faith is all but dormant (some might say “dead”)…a discussion for another time.

Fr. Z kudos to the Diocese of Cleveland!

UPDATE:

I received this from the great guys at St. John Cantius in Chicago.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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28 Comments

  1. jhayes says:

    At Mass, the priest announced that confessions will be heard in our parish from 6:30 to 8:00 pm every Wednesday during Lent.

    This same schedule is true for all parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston, so you can go to confession wherever you are at that time.

    The parish bulletin gave this link to a special website of the archdiocese on making a good confession:

    http://www.thelightisonforyou.org

  2. jhayes says:

    I liked this one from the FAQ at the site I linked:

    Should I go to confession if I haven’t committed any sins since my last confession?
    No, you should stay at home and wait for your canonization papers to arrive! Seriously, if it’s been several weeks since your last confession, you have probably not examined your conscience very carefully. “The just man,” the Book of Proverbs tells us, “falls seven times a day” (Prov 24:16). If you’re struggling to find matter to confess, examine your conscience on your sins of omission, on the seven capital sins or on whether you in fact love the Lord with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Lk 10:27).

  3. WmHesch says:

    Archdiocese of Cincinnati is doing the same thing March 3rd- http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/being-catholic/lightison4you/

  4. Adam Welp says:

    The Archdiocese of Indianapolis will be holding a “The Light is on for You” confession initiative for the second year in a row. On March 4th and March 18th, priests will be available in each parish or cluster to hear confessions from 6:30pm-8pm.

    My parish is expanding upon this by having confessions available from 6:30pm-8pm each Wednesday of Lent and having Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the church concurrently.

  5. pannw says:

    I’ve never seen a diocese with more opportunities to get to Confession during Lent than the Diocese of Nashville. http://www.dioceseofnashville.com/documents/2015/2/LentPenanceServices.pdf

    And not to worry. None of that communal absolution. Several priests are available at each service to hear actual Confessions and grant absolution. At least that’s the way it has been at the few I’ve attended in the past. Of course my own parish priest always makes confession frequently available,

    God bless him, and God bless Bishop Choby.

  6. Gregg the Obscure says:

    The Archdiocese of Denver is having confession available at all parishes on Thursday March 5 from 4-7 pm. This is the third consecutive year for such an event here.

  7. phlogiston says:

    Bishop Lennon of Cleveland ran into some (largely undeserved) criticism for parish closings but has been doing some good things here, including this evening of confession and Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form last fall.

  8. Sword40 says:

    At our FSSP parish in Seattle confession is heard before every Mass (7 days a week) and sometimes after each Mass. Ocassionally, even during Mass, when more than one priest is available.

  9. Joseph-Mary says:

    Two parishes in my town have confession twice a day, either 6 or 7 times a week. They do not need the extra 3 hours once in Lent!

    Not only that: one pastor this weekend spoke about the evils of pornography!!! And the sin it would be to read the book or see the movie of the 50 Shades. He said that if anyone had done, the confession light was on for them. Kudos to Fr. R. who cares enough for souls to address a difficult issue that is snaring countless souls.

  10. JesusFreak84 says:

    This is actually something with which I wish the Latin Sees had worked with the Sees of other Rites, especially since Lent is one of the only Liturgical seasons, if not THE only one, that we ALL have in common.

  11. truthfinder says:

    The Toronto Oratorians at Holy Family are having 4 hrs of confession every Friday of Lent from 8:15 am to 12 noon in addition to their normally held confession times.

  12. FrAnt says:

    Since the year 2000 my diocese, Rockville Centre, NY, has had confessions from 3 to 9pm on the Monday of Holy Week in all 133 parishes.

  13. Rushintuit says:

    I like this examination of conscience:

    http://www.scborromeo.org/confess.htm

  14. scholastica says:

    Pope Francis is in too!
    See below from http://www.novaevangelizatio.va

    PARTICIPATE
    For a second straight year, the Holy Father has invited dioceses, parishes and communities to join with him in participating. It would therefore be important to provide a special opening of the churches on days 13 and 14 March, according to the possibilities and needs of individual local churches, offering the possibility of Confessions and Eucharistic Adoration. The day could end with the celebration of the Mass on Saturday afternoon.
    PROGRAM FOR THE DIOCESE OF ROME
    Friday, March 13
    17.00 – Penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica* presided by Pope Francis.
    From 20.00 onwards, open churches in Rome city centre for Eucharistic adoration and confessions.
    Several priests in the churches at the heart of the City will welcome all those willing to receive the Mercy of the Lord. Young people from catholic movements will spread over the streets of the City, to their peers, the invitation to enter the churches and have a very special evening.
    The churches that will be open during the night:
    St. Agnese in Agone (Piazza Navona)
    Santa Maria in Trastevere
    Church of the Sacred Stigmata of St. Francis (Torre Argentina)
    Saturday, March 14
    From 10.00 to 16.00 – Confessions and Eucharistic Adoration in the church of St. Agnese in Agone
    17.00 – Closing celebration with the First Vespers of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, at the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, presided over by Msgr. Rino Fisichella.

  15. Stephen Matthew says:

    “The light is on for you” campaigns have become common enough the last few years that any diocese or parish not doing one is really rather behind the times. My home diocese is doing confession in every parish* every Wednesday evening in Lent, with an extra mass, or Eucharistic adoration, or Evening Prayer being scheduled those nights as well. Also, every parish hosts a Lenten penance service on a non-Wednesday using form 2 with priests from nearby parishes assisting (great excuse for the pastor of the parish hosting to also host his brother priests for dinner). Sadly, once Holy Week hits there are basically zero confession opportunities available (usually the regular Saturday confession times are cancelled on Holy Saturday), but every step in the right direction helps, even if there is a long way to go in many parishes.
    *(only parishes with full time clergy, others will be on alternate weeks or some such)

  16. catholiccomelately says:

    Joseph-Mary ….. we also have a good priest who is not afraid to speak truth. Thank God for them and for our courageous bishops!

  17. Sam Schmitt says:

    My diocese (Bridgeport, CT) offers confessions every Tuesday in Lent in every parish from 7 – 9 pm. They’ve been doing this for at least 5 years now.

  18. psalm51 says:

    Our diocese (Rockford IL) has Be Reconciled March 24 all day all parishes. In our parish this past weekend in place of the homily, our priests read Pope John Paul II Homily from 1987 (Texas) which was a lengthy detailed examination of conscience. It was tough to listen to and I know it made me want to run to the confessional.

  19. JonPatrick says:

    This week is Ember Week, a great time to go to confession! (Is there ever not a great time to go to confession?). My parish (Prince of Peace Lewiston ME) is having confession at 4 PM Wednesday and Friday before our 4:30 PM Ember Day Masses to be offered in the Extraordinary Form.

  20. Fr.Estabrook says:

    This is Cleveland’s third year of our Diocesan Wide Evening of Confession. The first year, many of our parishes heard confessions not just from 5pm to 8pm, but went as late as 9:30, some priests were in the confessional for four and a half hours…and it was wonderful!
    Last year, the weather was pretty bad…imagine that, in Cleveland.
    Please pray for good weather and that hearts respond positively to this call to repentance.

  21. mpmaron says:

    Relax People! The Diocese of Albany will be heard.

    This week’s bulletin alerted the congregation of six, COUNT THEM SIX, opportunities for communal reconciliation during the Lenten season.

    That’s awesome. If anyone needs me, I can be found at the Franciscan chapel in Colonie – Home of 6 hours of Confession 6 days a week. Sorry folks, not open on Sunday. You should probably go to your parish that day.

    It’s kind of funny because I try to confess at my parish once a week. Fr. Orthodox and I will keep on keeping on until we can’t anymore.

    That doesn’t mean the good people of Albany would not appreciate your prayers.

  22. Chiara says:

    Bishop Lennon gets a great deal of uncharitable, undeserved criticism when in fact he is a good shepherd to us in the Cleveland Diocese. This is the second year we have had an evening of Confessions at every parish in the Diocese. A friend of mine encountered His Excellency at a function a couple of years ago. She mentioned that she needed to get to Confession. Even though it was miserably hot and surely the Bishop had a tight, hectic schedule, he replied that he would be very happy to hear her Confession then and there, and then did so. I feel very blessed to be one of his “sheep.”

  23. Kristyn says:

    Our vicariate holds communal penances (NOT general absolution) during Lent & Advent. We are not the only vicariate in the archdiocese of Detroit to do so. All these comments are very encouraging!

  24. benedetta says:

    mpmaron, I concur as to the graces always available at the St Francis Chapel in Colonie in the D of Albany…however, as to those die hard communal penance services so fashionable here at Advent and Lent, presenting the wonder and joy of authentic confession, for both lay and clerical, is going to take patient, generous catechesis and time. As you know this entire region is stretched beyond belief for resources in this department. We have to continue to pray, and to recommend the St Francis Chapel as well as the beauty and wisdom of our faith in the authentic and powerful sacrament of confession as properly celebrated, to all and sundry…Beneath the mountain of snow and the arctic blast a tiny seed is growing quietly and humbly…

  25. AngelGuarded says:

    Our NO parish (with our new young pastor who is week-by-week making Mass “more Catholic” – his words) is having 24 hours of the “Sacrament of Confession” (his words) starting noon Friday February 27th through noon Saturday February 28th. We are planning to go late in the night Friday to be sure Father stays busy. :-) Thanks be to God for this wonderful holy Priest!

  26. AngelGuarded says:

    PS… Chicago Archdiocese.

  27. mpmaron says:

    benedetta,
    You are right of course. I pray my attempts at humor doesn’t create despair. As far as I can tell, business is growing on Wolf Rd. I took the kids a couple weeks back on a Saturday afternoon and there was a healthy wait.

    For those of you in the northern portion of our diocese, I submit
    http://www.rcda.org/churches/OurLadyofHope_StAnns/

    I think the pastor believes confession is very, very, important.

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