The Bishop of Middlesbrough has responded to a request from Pope Francis by opening churches for Confessions in Middlesbrough, York and Hull on Saturday 29 March for a period of thirty-six hours in total.
The request has been addressed to every Bishop in the world to ensure at least one church in their care remains open if possible for twenty-four hours that day.
From 7.00 am to 7.00 pm three churches in the Diocese of Middlesbrough will be open for people to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation popularly known as ‘Confession’.
The three churches in which a rota of priests will be available for the whole of the period are:
St Mary’s Cathedral, Middlesbrough
St Charles’ Church, Hull
St Wilfrid’s Church, York
This initiative follows comments encouraging Catholics to respond to the love of God celebrated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation by Pope Francis who said: “the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs us on to do our best. A small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties.” (Evangelii Gaudium)
As well as being available for people who wish to make their confession, the priests will also offer a listening ear to anyone who would like to respond to the invitation of Pope Francis who said: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ‘no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord’.”(Evangelii Gaudium)
The Bishop of Middlesbrough, The Right Reverend Terence Patrick Drainey, said: “I am delighted that by having three churches in the main population centres of the Diocese open all through Saturday 29 March, we will be sharing in a special way with Pope Francis. The Pope himself will be celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation with people in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I will be taking my turn with the priests of our Diocese in making myself available to assist any who would like to take the next small step in their journey with Christ through this great sacrament of mercy, forgiveness and encouragement.”