What? A reconciliation service with communal absolution will take place this Sunday, December 6th at 7pm at Marysburg. Communal absolution means absolution of sins without individual confession of sins to a priest beforehand. Why? Due to the pandemic, the Vatican has temporarily granted permission for communal absolution world-wide. We have chosen to offer this because we know that there are some who may desire the sacrament, but who don’t feel safe coming to confess individually due to the virus. How will it work? The penance service will occur in the church in a way similar to Mass. There will be a reading from scripture, a homily, and time for an examination of conscience, then the service will conclude with absolution. The service will also be broadcasted via FM transmitter (FM 90.7) into the parking lot so that parishioners have the option to attend in their cars without coming into the building. Is it absolution allowed to be given through the radio? Sacramental absolution is permitted to be given with live electronic amplification so long as it is on-site. Absolution cannot be given remotely, however, so the service will not be live-streamed. What’s the catch? Due to the importance of individual confession, the Church still requires recipients of communal absolution to confess any mortal sins (i.e. serious sins) individually within one year (assuming the conditions for communal absolution are no longer present).