The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will hold a Reconciliation Weekend for all the faithful February 25-26, 2005. Fifty-five parishes in the Archdiocese's five-county area have been designated to hold prayer services and have numerous priests available to hear confessions both Friday night and all day Saturday. The full list of parishes plus specific times, dates and languages available is on the Archdiocesan home page.

The weekend celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as the Sacrament of Penance, is of special significance this year. Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, has called for events in the Archdiocese to mark what Pope John Paul II has designated as the Year of the Eucharist.

Reconciling one's life to God through the forgiveness of sins and the grace offered through this sacrament helps the believer become better disposed for receiving and adoring Christ's Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

As the Holy Father has said, "The Eucharist thus applies to men and women today the reconciliation won once and for all by Christ for mankind in every age."

The weekend represents an opportunity for all Catholics to experience the mercy of God through Sacramental confession. The Holy Father said in his encyclical on the Eucharist, "If a Christian's conscience is burdened by serious sin, then the path of penance through the Sacrament of Reconciliation becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice."

Contact
Donna Farrell
Director of Communications
215-587-3747