U.S Notes & Quotes

Philly on Fire with Evangelization

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, May 16—Philadelphians are still reaping the benefits of Lent's Reconciliation Weekend and its other successful evangelization programs, according to the Inquirer's Mary Beth McCauley. Officials estimated that 35% of the 100,000 who took part in the weekend were returning to the Church, often after decades away. Others were practicing Catholics who had neglected or did not understand the importance of sacramental penance. “The blitz of publicity for the weekend had made clear that long lapsed penitents … would get a welcome …,” said McCauley. The 1,100 priests who heard the confessions did not know what to expect going into the weekend, "and few emerged unaffected.” “I was in the midst of a miracle,” said Msgr. Joseph Marino. “People were touched by the invitation … they were touched by the Holy Spirit, by peace and tranquility.” So too, the priest. “There were moments when there were tears running down my face,” he said. “This is exactly why we were ordained” The reconciliation event followed introduction of a toll-free telephone service, 1–877-BLESSME line, “another successful and singular evangelization effort,” said McCauley. About 17,000 people have taken advantage of the opportunity to talk anonymously to a priest via the service.

An interactive website, www.blessme.org, has received 11,000 hits and counting.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia also requires that each of its parishes have an evangelization program of its own choosing.

TV Report on Confession ‘Smacks of an Agenda’

WFOR, May 16—CBS's Miami affiliate featured a story on its late news about the sacrament of reconciliation that highlighted the fact that many Catholics no longer go to confession. Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights President Bill Donohue noted that the story was heavily promoted during the movie that preceded the news, Joan of Arc, helping to capture a large Catholic audience. The news feature included scenes of sacramental confession as depicted in two other movies, Moonstruck and Mortal Sins, “thus adding to the triviality of the report,” said Donohue. The report, he said, conveyed that Catholics who do not go to confession have made a valid choice because it suits their own tastes. Donohue objected to “the forced symmetry that is so popular with some segments of the media, namely the strategy that puts Catholics who reject Church teachings on the same ground as Catholics who are loyal to the Church. This smacks of an agenda - not an honest inquiry.”

Promise Keepers for Couples

USA TODAY, May 20—An organization with goals similar to those of the Christian-based Promise Keepers - except with couples, not just men - will hold four rallies this summer and fall to promote a commitment to marriage and family, reported the national newspaper's Karen S. Peterson, Twenty-four groups with a total membership of about 31 million have formed the Convenant Marriage Movement, including Promise Keepers, Focus on the Family and the Christian Men's Movement. “Couples attending the conferences will be asked to sign a “covenant marriage, document pledging steadfast love and sexual purity,” said Peterson.