On Friday, March 8, Pope Francis presided over a penitential celebration at the parish of St. Pius V, west of Rome. During the ceremony he heard the confessions of several of the faithful. At the start of his pontificate, the Argentinian pope surprised the public by going to confession himself at this annual Lenten celebration. Read More…

Last week, in the high school theology class I teach, the students were having a vigorous debate as I walked through the door to begin class. The previous class period we had been in Mass and one of the students, because he felt he’d done a poor job paying attention, decided to refrain from receiving Read More…

Pope Francis addressed participants in a course on the sacrament of confession and issues of conscience, by suggesting a reflection on the Act of Contrition, the prayer a penitent says in the sacrament. The conference was attended by future priests, and the Pope encouraged them to “live every confession as a unique and unrepeatable moment Read More…

Pope Francis visited the Roman parish of St. Pius V this March 8, to begin the annual “24 Hours for the Lord,” a Lenten initiative he established with the aim of keeping churches open for a full day so the faithful can find the sacrament of confession, regardless of their schedules. The Holy Father spoke Read More…

As he did last year, on March 8, 2024, Pope Francis will visit a parish in Rome as part of the ‘24 Hours for the Lord‘ initiative. This time of prayer, adoration, and confession takes place in dioceses around the world during Lent, in preparation for Easter.  For the 11th edition of this event, which Read More…

Mortal sin kills the sanctifying grace we received in baptism, which erased original sin and made us children of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that: The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to Read More…

This is the third part of a series. Read the first two parts here and here. In the United States, there’s been an effort to foster greater belief in and love of the Eucharist. The nation’s bishops, responding to news that diminishing numbers of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Read More…

The 1980s witnessed the murder of several priests in Guatemala, such as Bl. Stanley Rother. They were killed for their faithfulness to the Catholic faith and for not cooperating with the oppressive regime at the time. Among the priests killed by Guatemalan “security forces” was Franciscan priest Father Augusto Ramírez Monasterio. He was killed on Read More…

Washington lawmakers are taking another shot at passing a bill that would make Catholic priests mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect. Last year, an attempt to pass a similar bill failed due to the bill’s language, which required the breaking of priest-penitent privilege.  OPB reports that the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Noel Frame, Read More…

Our Lord Jesus Christ knew perfectly well that the human race has been weakened by original sin. As a result, even after receiving the grace of Baptism, we sin again. Knowing us so well, he wanted to leave us the sacrament of confession, so we could leave our sins behind us time and again, and Read More…

Standing in line for Confession at my parish last week, I slowly noticed that everyone in front of me came out with a big smile, an almost visible sense of burdens lifted. Going to Confession (or Reconciliation, or Penance—pick your favorite name for the Sacrament) brings such peace and joy that it’s hard to describe. Read More…

Jesus looks at you and he sees who you are, in your very core. He doesn’t see who you could have been or who you should have been; he doesn’t see your sins and lose sight of you.  He sees who you are, who he made you to be, and he loves you.  Yes, you sinned. Read More…