Manila's Father Danny proposes street confessions for Lent
A priest's initiative in Quezon City To help people live the journey towards Easter as a ‘time of penance, conversion and grace through the sacraments’. He started last Friday in View River: ‘I bring the Church to the people’.
Manila (AsiaNews) - A Filipino priest from Manila has begun to administer the sacrament of Reconciliation on the street every Friday of Lent. Danny P. Pajarillaga, a priest from the parish of Christ the King in Filinvest II, Quezon City, in the diocese of Novaliches, began last Friday by hearing the confessions of the faithful at View River in the barangay (neighbourhood) of Batasan Hills. A powerful gesture of charity and service to the people, capable of bringing hope, in the context of the Holy Year.
Fr Danny P. Pajarillaga believes that the Church should go out to meet people, especially in shanty towns or the poorest areas. This conviction drives him in his ministry. He will continue with his travelling confessional until Easter, guaranteeing a constant presence.
‘Lent, a 40-day penitential period for Catholics, should be a time of penance, conversion and grace for all through participation in the sacraments, especially the sacrament of Reconciliation,’ he said.
Confessions usually take place in a church chapel or a parish hall; in any case in places officially linked to worship. But Fr Danny P. Pajarillaga has decided to go out to meet people.
‘I love going through the streets and alleys and inviting people to receive the sacrament of Confession, especially those who don't go to church and people who are more busy, so that they can receive God's grace,’ he said. “It's my humble initiative to bring the Church to the people,” he added.
He also emphasised that Jesus never stood still, and that this movement inspires him a lot. He was dynamic in preaching and proclaiming the Gospel; he travelled, and met with anyone, regardless of their status.
‘Jesus never stayed in one place. He invited sinners, tax collectors and everyone else to convert’, said the priest. He added that the Jubilee Year should be a source of hope for everyone, especially through the worthy reception of the sacraments.
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14/02/2018 16:07
