Confessions will be focus

of ‘24 Hours for the Lord’

If you have not gone to confession in some time, you will have a great opportunity to remedy that situation on Friday-Saturday, March 4-5, when the Corpus Christi Cathedral will offer confessions Friday from 1-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m.–noon.

In the midst of the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis called for Christians to spend “24 Hours for the Lord.” This initiative calls for taking 24-hours to engage in prayer, Eucharistic adoration and especially the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation.

The pope explained in his Bull of Indiction calling for the Year of Mercy “The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should also be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy.” In the midst of the Lenten season, Pope Francis asked the faithful “place the sacrament of reconciliation at the center once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands.”

Encouraged by the large number of young people returning to confession, the pope encouraged every diocese and parish that is able to make 24-hours available for penitents to receive the sacrament of reconciliation and engage in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

At the Corpus Christi Cathedral, 24 Hours for the Lord will begin with the Stations of the Cross at 11:40 a.m. on Friday, March 4, followed by Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 12:05 p.m. Every hour after Mass, a Cathedral ministry group will lead those present in other devotions, such as praying the rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, Stations of the Cross, night prayer and Benediction. A priest will be available in the confessional during the entire 24-hour period. The 24-hours will end with the noon Mass on Saturday, March 5.

The Year of Mercy, which started last December, has featured such activities as the opening of Doors of Mercy in churches and hospitals around the world. The Holy Father’s addresses have frequently found mercy as their theme and he has encouraged the faithful to be more mindful of mercy in their lives, as well, both by practicing mercy with those they encounter and also acknowledging the mercy that they have experienced in their own lives.

This is not the first time that Pope Francis has called for a renewed emphasis on the sacrament of reconciliation. A greater awareness of mercy, conversion, and repentance has been a central theme of Pope Francis’ pontificate. His general audiences and Wednesday catechesis lessons have frequently found confession as their topic. Bishop Michael Mulvey has also encouraged priests in the Diocese of Corpus Christi to offer more occasions for reconciliation.

The 24 Hours for the Lord initiative in the midst of the Year of Mercy seems tailor made for the Holy Father’s prioritization of the sacrament. His vision of a church as a field hospital to help heal sinners is as an inspiration for this initiative. His emphasis on the sacrament of reconciliation seems to be having an effect. Many people are returning to the sacrament, especially young people.

There is statistical as well as anecdotal evidence to support the claim that young people are returning to the sacrament of reconciliation. The millennial generation has shown an uptick in reception of the sacrament from the post-Vatican II generation; 27 percent of millennials participate in confession at least once a year, up from 22 percent of the generation immediately following Vatican II.

Pope Francis hopes that the 24 Hours for the Lord initiative will resonate particularly with young people. This is especially relevant for this diocese, which includes Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University–Kingsville, Del Mar College and Coastal Bend College, with many students who participate in the robust Catholic ministries present at these campuses.

High school and middle students in the diocese have also shown enthusiasm for devotions offered by the Church. St. John Paul II High School and Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School in Corpus Christi will also offer 24 Hours for the Lord at the Immaculate Conception Chapel, beginning at 11:30 a.m., March 4, with a talk by the schools’ chaplain Father Patrick Higgins about the history of Divine Mercy and its message. This will be followed at noon by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Throughout the following 24-hours, a number of devotions will be prayed, including a Midnight Mass. The 24 Hours for the Lord will conclude with prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 11:50 a.m. on March 5.

To commence the 24 Hours for the Lord in Rome, Pope Francis will preside at a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica. He is also expected to receive the sacrament of reconciliation at this service, as he has done in previous years.

Bishop Mulvey has encouraged the celebration of 24 Hours for the Lord at the parish level, encouraging all parishes to participate in an appropriate manner.

(Alfredo E. Cardenas contributed to this article.)