The sacrament of reconciliation will be available in all parts of the Rochester Diocese on Wednesday, March 14, as the annual Day of Penance and Mercy takes place.
Confessions will be heard in all diocesan parishes between the hours of noon and 7 p.m. Many churches will offer the sacrament during the entire seven-hour period, whereas priests who staff parishes with multiple worship sites will rotate among those sites. Check with your parish for its exact schedule March 14.
Don Smith, diocesan coordinator of sacramental catechesis and family life, noted that the Day of Penance and Mercy was instituted in 2013 “with the hope to revitalize the regular practice of reconciliation.” Smith added that in his pastoral letter of June 2017 announcing the current Year of the Eucharist, Bishop Salvatore R. Matano stressed the importance of daily repentance and regular reception of the sacrament of reconciliation in order to be better suited for receiving the Eucharist.
For further details on the Day of Penance and Mercy and to learn more about the sacrament of reconciliation, including its history, theology and how to prepare for it, visit http://forgiven.dor.org.
