Pardon
& Peace
By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer
In what Cardinal Justin Rigali has described as “a great crusade
of mercy and forgiveness,” every church in the Archdiocese will
make the sacrament of reconciliation available every Wednesday evening
during Lent.
The Cardinal is calling on Catholics to participate in the Lenten program
of confessions, titled “Pardon and Peace,” which will be
held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, Feb. 20, Feb. 27, March 5,
March 12 and March 19. The 40-day period of Lent culminates on Easter,
which is celebrated on March 23 this year.
From last week through this past weekend, teenagers from Our Lady of
Ransom Parish in Northeast Philadelphia took to the streets to distribute
packets describing the program to nearly 6,000 Catholic and non-Catholic
households within parish boundaries.
Accompanied by adult parishioners — and their pastor, Father Christopher
Redcay — they visited homes along bustling Roosevelt Boulevard.
“We see our parish as the beacon on the Boulevard, beckoning to
all,” said Dot Reilly, the coordinator of adult faith formation
at the parish, and a member of its evangelization committee.
Senior citizens in the parish helped assemble the packets, which included
flyers listing the dates and times of confessions in English and Spanish;
a parish bulletin and calendar of events, and information about the
parish school.
The teens canvassed 5,800 households; the parish has 1,190 registered
households.
“I just wanted to help get the news about our parish out,”
said Tim Stengel, a junior at Northeast Catholic High School for Boys
in Philadelphia.
“It’s a good idea,” he added of the Lenten program.
If their efforts touch just one person, it would be worth all the work
— as well as the miles of walking, said Amanda Deno, a sophomore
at Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia. It
was also “good exercise,” she added.
Both she and Stengel said they hope Catholics who participate in the
program — an event of the Archdiocese’s Bicentennial year
— go the distance. “It just feels good when you let out
all your sins,” Deno said.
Catholics who have been away from the Church may find Our Lady of Ransom’s
information packets an incentive “to rekindle the spark of their
faith and bring them back to the Church, or to become a more active
member of the parish,” Father Redcay said.
The packets will also be helpful for non-Catholics who want to know
more about the faith but may hesitate to reach out on their own, Father
Redcay added.
Catholics throughout the Archdiocese who have been away from the confessional
have no need to fear the sacrament of reconciliation, he said. Every
church will make available printed guides for an examinatioan of conscience
and making a confession.
“Don’t be afraid,” Father Redcay advised.
Stengel added, “When you confess your sins, you can feel better
about yourself. God will forgive you. He loves us.”
For more information, visit the archdiocesan Web site: www.archphila.org.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215)
587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.