As in the past several years, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is encouraging each of the 219 parishes to provide more opportunities for the sacrament of penance and reconciliation by scheduling it every Wednesday of Lent from 7 to 8 p.m.
A memo by Father Dennis Gill, director of the archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship, to all priests of the archdiocese said the practice of adding time for confessions in Lent and at the same time throughout the archdiocese “underscores the importance of the sacrament in the Christian life.”
At some parishes, for sound pastoral reasons, it may not be possible to add confessions on Wednesday nights.
“In such cases an additional time for confessions, perhaps on another weekday evening or Saturday morning or before Sunday Mass, might be a better alternative,” Father Gill wrote. “Pastors responsible for two parishes need only to arrange for additional Confessions in one of the parishes.”
More information on the sacrament of penance and reconciliation can be found on the website of the Office for Divine Worship.
I don’t know why I bother but the Priests of the AD should read & OBEY the below Canon
Can. 964 §2. The conference of bishops is to establish norms regarding the confessional; it is to take care, however, that there are always confessionals with a fixed grate between the penitent and the confessor in an open place so that the faithful who wish to can use them freely.
The spirit of this canon is violated when a priests sits in a room and looks you in the face and than if you wish to have Anon. confession he pulls up a Screen
Just so we understand;; this was established by St. Charles Bar. ( Anon. Confession)
I can’t begin to tell you the number of adults that refuse to go to confession because the priests refuse to obey the spirit of the canon.
I do know that while teaching 5th grade in a Catholic school 10 years ago of 24 students only 4 went to confession because the priest was sitting in the back pew. It was a new church so it didn’t even have confessionals. I took the kids to St John Neumann shrine and that was the first time they saw a REAL confessional. After talking to them the next time confession was held I took them to the room where there was a grate and kneeler. I spoke to the Priest who was the Pro. Vic. and he agreed to use the room and have his back to the door. All 24 went to the room and not the pew. The pastor’s response was to forbid the PV to use the room for the students.