Diocesan Catholics Respond To Unique Opportunity For Reconciliation

When Father Jean Vogler arrived at Sacred Heart Church in Schnellville shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, to hear confessions as part of a diocesan-wide reconciliation initiative, he brought along his breviary and a novel, thinking “two hours is a long time” and there were likely to be a few gaps between penitents.

When he pulled into the parking lot and noticed several cars, he said his first thought was there must be a meeting or choir practice going on inside the church. But upon entering, he discovered people already waiting in line for reconciliation.

“I heard confessions non-stop, not only from 6 to 8 p.m., but an additional 35 minutes,” Father Vogler said. “The experience thrilled my heart.”

Father Vogler was not alone in expressing his amazement and excitement about this special evening of confession and forgiveness, which was announced by Bishop Charles C. Thompson and which included every parish in the diocese. The two-hour reconciliation initiative was part of a nationwide “The Light is ON For You” effort spearheaded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Father Ryan Hilderbrand, associate pastor of Christ the King parish, Evansville, heard confessions at St. Philip in Posey County. He said parishioners were already waiting when he arrived at 5:30 p.m., and he experienced a “steady stream of penitents” until 8 p.m. “It's always wonderful to have a constant flow of people seeking the mercy of God in this way,” he said.

“Most of the time, if I’ve been doing any one thing (for) two-and-a-half hours, I’m absolutely exhausted,” Father Hilderbrand added. “However, when I hear confessions like I did at St. Philip, I always leave energized. In short, the experience was amazing!”

Father Tony Ernst, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, Haubstadt; Holy Cross, Fort Branch; and St. Bernard, Snake Run, said it was a “powerful night,” and he noted that several of his brother priests shared with him their surprise and elation that so many took advantage of the opportunity to experience forgiveness.

“The encouragement from our bishop and our priests must have had a big impact on the number of people who celebrated the sacrament,” said Father Ernst. “I believe that many people want to come back to the sacrament of reconciliation; they just need an avenue. Having a special night for this was an excellent idea, and I am hoping that we can do this more often.”

Holy Spirit, Evansville, pastor Claude “Dusty” Burns said he found it particularly uplifting knowing that he was hearing confessions at the same time as his brother priests throughout the diocese. “All of our parishes were united for one special reason, and that was to approach the mercy of Jesus Christ,” Father Burns said. “The sacrament of confession is always special, but that realization made it much more special.”

Father Christopher Forler, pastor of St. Bernard, Rockport, and St. Martin, Chrisney, heard confessions at St. Bernard, while Father Ralph Schipp, retired since 2005, heard confessions at St. Martin. Father Forler said the response “was very strong” at both parishes, and that he has never experienced a night like Wednesday.

“Before the evening, I pointed out to the people in our churches that our own bishop thinks this is so important that he had the priests clear our personal schedules,” he said. “I think this made a difference in people’s minds.”  

Father Forler said priests have a responsibility to “talk about reconciliation and let people know that it’s important.” While he acknowledged that many people are busy, he said the sacrament of reconciliation is a “million times more important” than any evening meeting or other item on our agendas. “People want and need to know that they are loved and forgiven for their sins, faults and failings, and that sin brought in trust to God has no power over God and his love,” he said.