It is not to early to set a date for an encounter with our merciful God. The sacrament of reconciliation gains much prominence during the Lenten season, and rightly so. What we pledge on Ash Wednesday (to repent and believe in the Gospel) is effectively carried out through the merciful encounter with our Lord in confession. Gone are the days when many feared to be shamed in the confessional. Priests who hear confessions today understand how hard it is for everyone to speak aloud to another human being their weakness, sin and failure.
In addition to the regular 10:30 am Tuesday and 1:00 pm Saturday confession, our parish will offer a communal penance service on Wednesday, March 29th at 7:00 pm. As in the past, there will be priests from other parishes to help out. Our Advent service fell victim to inclement weather and poor publicity. Fr. Jeremy and I will be reminding you about this service frequently in the days ahead. There is nothing more comforting than to hear the words "I absolve you from your sins!"