Catholics Not Going To Confession So The Ads Are Coming!

    Washington Post

Noting that the number of Catholics taking part in the key rite has plunged, the Archdiocese of Washington is launching its biggest marketing blitz this week, using ads on buses, subway cars, a Route 301 billboard, 100,000 brochures and radio spots in an effort to get people back to the confessional.

The campaign, the first big public endeavor by the new archbishop, Donald Wuerl, is timed to start with Lent, the 40-day period of reflection and penitence that started yesterday, Ash Wednesday. The 100,000 brochures that parishes are distributing lay out rules for the rusty, complete with a pop-out, wallet-size card ("Step 3: Confess all of your sins to the priest. If you are unsure or uneasy, tell him and ask for help."). Starting Wednesday, all 140 churches in the archdiocese will be open for confession from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Lent.

Parishes have been cutting back the time they set aside for confessions for years; many now allot only 30- or 45-minute blocks or ask for appointments. Years ago, lines at confessionals were long and priests listened for hours.

Also known as the sacrament of reconciliation, confession involves several mandatory steps: being sincerely contrite, articulating to a priest (who stands in the place of Jesus) what was done wrong, apologizing, receiving an assigned penance and being forgiven.

   I'm a non-denominational Christian myself but my parents started me out as a Catholic. The article above is one reason that I do not do organized religion in the first place.

    What do you think is going to happen when the church cuts back on the times it gives for the confessional to be open and then makes you have to get an appointment in some cases?

    The church can claim that less people are confessing because they do not have the time in this day and age to go do these things, but the majority of the fault lies with the church. The church has become more of a business and it has strayed away from it's original reason for being here in the first place. This has happened in all denominations, not just the Catholic.

   On top of that, maybe your flock has gotten tired of going to church and then being made to feel guilty for breathing to hard. One thing that the Catholic church has always been good at is making their people feel guilty about everything.

 

Technorati tags: catholic church, confession, advertisements