Ridgewood NJ, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, has announced that due to severe weather conditions the next few days the Adoration Chapel will close from 6:15 pm Saturday night and will not reopen till Tuesday January 22nd .
Also sinners get a one day reprieve due to the Martin Luther King Holiday as well as the weather situation CONFESSION has been cancelled Monday night .
Catholic Church and faithful see confession in a new light
APRIL 6, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2014, 12:26 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
One of loneliest places in church these days is the confession line. The act of confessing one’s sins, a requirement for Catholics, has sharply fallen over several decades with evolving views on sin, penance and the stature of the priesthood.
But now Pope Francis and church leaders, in a push to draw people back to confession, are highlighting what clergy say are the healing, uplifting aspects of the sacrament and focusing less on themes like punishment and condemnation..
The Paterson Diocese and Newark Archdiocese are using websites, newspaper ads and highway billboards to get the message out. Under diocesan guidance, local churches have also added one extra day a week to hear confession during Lent, the period before Easter when penance is considered a Catholic duty. And the pope, in an image seen and talked about around the world, confessed to a priest last week in public view.
But will these efforts change attitudes among Catholics, many of whom believe confession no longer is a necessary part of the faith?