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Confessions During The Triduum, Holy Water During Lent

Confession during the Triduum is, indeed, allowed. Priests who say it isn't are mis-reading the Missal.

However, I think that quite a few parishes won't offer it, simply out of the priests being too busy with liturgical duties. I'd say your best opportunity is to go this weekend or next and get it done. If not, call your rectory and make an appointment.

Another odd habit some churches have gotten into in Lent is removing Holy Water from the fonts at the entrance of the Church, and replacing it with stones, or sand. This irks me, as anyone who reads the Manual of Indulgences closely knows that the difference between making the Sign of The Cross with Holy Water as opposed to making the Sign of The Cross without Holy Water is four years (seven years indulgence versus three years indulgence, according to my 1957 edition of the Raccolta -- so for this little liturgical novelty, I'm supposed to spend four years in Purgatory? I always cross myself with Holy Water upon entering and leaving Church -- even if the Church is empty. (As a child, I once had my hand slapped by a nun when our Sunday school class was leaving Church after a rehearsal of some kind. As I was leaving, I stopped to cross myself with Holy Water, and she said something to the effect of "Don't play with that." Little did she know that I wasn't playing, I was merely trying to do what my old-school Jesuit-educated father had instructed me to do). Rome fortunately ruled on this, too.

UPDATE: Heh.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on March 7, 2008 6:18 PM.

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