CV NEWS FEED // Parishes in the diocese of Cleveland, Ohio later this month will offer an “Evening of Confession” for three straight hours to encourage Catholics to seek spiritual healing and forgiveness.
On February 28, many, if not all, of the 185 parishes in the diocese will have their doors open from 5 to 8 p.m. offering the sacrament of Reconciliation. The Evening of Confession has become an annual tradition in the diocese during Lent. This year’s theme for the evening is “Open the Door in 2024.”
“As our bodies need to be healed, so do our souls,” said the head of the diocesan Parish Life, Fr. Damian Ference, according to the diocesan news site. “We want people to come back and experience the grace of healing. When our bodies are sick, we go to a doctor. When our souls are sick, we can’t go to a doctor; we go to the divine doctor, the divine healer.”
The diocesan news site highlighted that Ference “said it doesn’t matter how long it has been since your last confession.”
“If you know someone who’s been away from the Church or who is not active, invite them to come with you,” Ference added. He is also the diocesan vicar for evangelization.
Pastors in the diocese are also encouraged to have Eucharistic adoration available during these three hours.
“Pope Francis said the ‘joy of God is the joy of forgiveness,’” Ference said. “God’s forgiveness ‘is a sign of his overflowing love for each of us.’”
