Happy Advent everyone! In this joyful season we wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus: remembering his coming at Christmas, noticing his coming into our lives, looking forward to his coming at the end of this world. We hope you’ll choose some of the many activities at our three churches and use them to help us prepare. Let me highlight three events.
This weekend, Advent by Tailgate, a regional event for men on the parking lot of St. Joan of Arc parish at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Next weekend, Advent by Candlelight, a parish event for women, in the Father Keaney Center on the IHM campus; doors open at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 10.
At the end of Advent, our nightly Christmas Novena from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. each evening in SSP church.
These are great opportunities for fellowship, rest, and prayer. I hope you’ll join us.
Advent is a great time to make a good confession. We offer confession each week from 6 pm. to 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings at IHM, as well on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. at SSP) and Sunday morning (7:45 a.m. at SJB and 9:30 a.m. at IHM). We’ll have a special parish penance service on Dec. 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with some beautiful music to help with quiet prayer. A visiting priest, Msgr. Ed Griesedieck, will kindly hear your confession if you prefer to go to someone whom you’ll not see again — or at least very often. In keeping with that theme, here’s some questions I received about confession.
Does confession have to take place in the confessional?
No, it can take place anywhere. Just ask a priest to hear your confession, and he’ll find a quiet corner to talk to you privately. Or, if you prefer, you can make an appointment. One time I celebrated the sacrament of confession in an airport concourse!
How can you tell if a priest/person is in the confessional?
This can be a little different from church to church, but at all of our churches, if there is a priest in the confessional, the little light above the center door will be on. If someone is in the confessional with the priest, one or both of the sidelights will be on as well. (Sometimes I forget to turn off the sidelights when I should. If you ever are waiting for confession with me and wonder if maybe no one is in there and I forgot to turn off the sidelight, it’s perfectly OK to knock on the door, wait a moment, and then come in.)
What advice do you have for someone who has not been to confession in many, many years?
While sitting in church waiting for Mass, one may feel a sense of longing to go, but a sense of embarrassment (forgetting “how to”) and unease sometimes stops them from going forward. Confession is the most low-pressure sacrament when it comes to what you need to remember. Just tell the priest you need help to make a good confession, and he’ll take care of everything after that. That being said, if you would like to have a guide to take in with you, that is perfectly OK, too. One simple guide can be found here. Most of all, remember that the priest will be joyful to see you. All priests are sinners, all priests go to confession, and so we know how good it is to be forgiven and how important it is to be welcomed. When we see people in confession, we see them at their best. We see you trusting in God’s mercy and shooting up to God by grace.
God bless all of you! A big thank you to everyone who filled out a worship offering commitment card last weekend! May God who has begun the good work in you, bring it to completion! (Philippians 1:16)