Dear Parishioners,
The new Reconciliation Room (Confessional box) is open for business! It is different to before but then again it is the same, so feel free to look in and walk around. When you enter you will immediately see a traditional screen with a white curtain in front of the grill. Before the screen is a kneeler for those who wish to receive the sacrament in the traditional manner but next to this is a chair for those who experience any difficulty kneeling or afterwards regaining their feet. The chair is a sturdy piece of furniture with arm rests so if you have any problem whatsoever with your knees please do not hesitate to sit. Those who may wish to receive the sacrament face to face need only walk on past the screen. The wide entrance and door permit access by wheelchair.
The walls have been insulated and plastered, so the room should maintain a fairly comfortable temperature. On the outside wall there is a light that indicates when the room is in use.
The usual time for the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is from 11 to 11.45 each Saturday morning. This Year of Mercy should prompt us to ask ourselves, ‘When did I last go to confession; when did I last receive the sacrament of reconciliation?’
Finally, what is the name of the sacrament: Confession or Reconciliation? Both! We confess our sins and thereby are reconciled with God and the community.
On the upcoming Bank Holiday, Monday 30th May, we shall again host Right to Life’s sponsored Walk for Life. There is no doubt that Right to Life is the most successful of organisations that work to defend the dignity of life from conception to the grave. It does so by encouraging and supporting pro-life MPs in their task of raising the awareness and disseminating information on life issues among their fellow Parliamentarians. The success of this work is seen in that whenever a Euthanasia Bill has appeared in the House on each occasion the number voting against it has increased. Right to Life also provides education packs for Secondary level schools. Demand for this by both state and religious secondary schools outstripped supply.
All these activities cost money even though Right to Life works on a shoestring budget. Please consider joining us this year on our scenic eight mile circular walk along the River Ribble together with Bishops John and Patrick Kelly and Lord David Alton among others. If you are unable to walk then please do consider sponsoring a walker.
Fr John