Bishop David A. Zubik has asked all parishes in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese to be open for the sacrament of confession from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
That evening will be the culmination of the diocese’s twice-yearly the Light is On for You campaign, when Catholics are urged to return to the sacrament.
The campaign is intended to reach out to Catholics who have not been to confession for years and make it convenient for them to return. Some Catholics prefer to go to confession with a priest who doesn’t know them, and holding simultaneous confession at all parishes also makes that easier.
“One of the most rewarding experiences that any priest can have is to hear the confession of someone who may have been away from the church for decades, and to have a role in lifting that burden of guilt and restoring the person to spiritual wholeness,” Zubik said in a statement. “We are here to welcome people back, to offer mercy and to help them experience God’s love.”
Confession is the only sacrament for which the Catholic Church keeps no statistics, so there is no way to show whether confessions have increased since the Light is On for You began years ago. Anecdotally, however, priests of the Pittsburgh diocese report that they often hear confessions beyond the three allotted hours, many from people who have been away from the sacrament for more than 20 years. Some have also reported a rise in young adults making confessions.
Confessions can be heard face to face or behind the anonymity of a screen. Through the sacrament, Catholics acknowledge and express sorrow for their sins, receive the forgiveness of Jesus and his church and resolve to do better in the future.