This Wednesday evening, December 13, 6:45 PM, will be our Advent Penance service. I hope you will take the opportunity to take advantage of it. There should be a total of six priest available to hear confessions. There are many reasons why people do not go to confession, forgot how, embarrassed, don’t want to confess to a man, don’t feel the need, etc., etc. Some might choose to go elsewhere because ours is a little crowded with the youth all attending. I would like to speak a little about this. The first year after I was ordained, I was invited to one of the parishes in Grand Island to hear confessions of those who were to be Confirmed. There was a large number as you might expect. What disappointed me was that most of the confessions I heard said it was their second confession since First Reconciliation, which would have been about 8 – 10 years earlier. It was at that time that it was decided that the youth of our faith formation program would participate in our two annual penance services. Now it is routine for our youth. They all pretty much know the procedure by heart, including the Act of Contrition. I am very proud of them! But it is very important that they see adults going to confession, especially their parents. Part of the drag on faith education is the very false perception that it is a “kid thing” to be grown out of. Your participation helps to change that image. You may have perceived your participation as just your personal reception of sacramental grace. It is, but there is more. Your public participation bears witness to your faith and sets an invaluable example for our youth