‘The Lights are On’ in the Archdiocese, March 4

February 17, 2016

HOUSTON — In order to provide the faithful with opportunities to experience the mercy and forgiveness of the loving Father in and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo has marked Friday, March 4, from 6 to 11 p.m. as the day to celebrate “The Lights are On for You“ in parishes of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

In his Apostolic Letter, Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis called for a day dedicated to celebrating the gift of the Lord’s forgiveness, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation: “The initiative of ‘24 Hours for the Lord,’” to be celebrated on the Friday and Saturday preceding the Fourth Week of Lent, should be implemented in every diocese. So many people, including young people, are returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation; through this experience they are rediscovering a path back to the Lord, living a moment of intense prayer and finding meaning in their lives. Let us place the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the center once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands. For every penitent, it will be a source of true interior peace” (n. 17).

Cardinal DiNardo has asked faithful to pray for one another and encourage others in this movement of grace, “and let us pray for our priests to exercise the gift of mercy and healing given to them at their ordination,” he said.

Learn more about the Jubilee Year of Mercy and “The Lights are On for You,” visit www.archgh.org/yearofmercy. Find your nearest Catholic church at www.archgh.org/find-a-parish.