On Friday 28th March, feast of Christ the Redeemer, and Thursday10th April, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Church in Malta and Gozo will be organizing a celebration entitled ‘Feast of Forgiveness’.
Last Sunday, Pope Francis, whose messages often allude to God’s mercy, invited all Christians to participate in a similar initiative which will be held next Friday and Saturday, at St Peter’s Basilica and several other churches in Rome.
On the initiative of the Maltese Episcopal Conference, the ‘Feast of Forgiveness’ will be held in Malta and Gozo on two separate days. On Friday, 28th March, five churches in Malta and another in Gozo will remain open until late for confessions. In five churches, the penitential celebration will commence with the celebration of Holy Mass. The churches are:
- The parish of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Senglea. At 6.00 p.m., Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. will lead the annual pilgrimage with the Miraculous Statute of Christ the Redeemer. Following the pilgrimage, the Archbishop will celebrate Mass, after which there will be priests available to hear confessions until midnight. The Youth Fellowship group will animate.
- St Mary’s Parish, Birkirkara. Mgr Anton Gouder, Pro-Vicar General, will celebrate Mass at 8.00 p.m., after which there will be priests available to hear confessions until midnight. The Charismatic Movement will animate.
- The Millennium Chapel, Paceville. Bishop Charles J. Scicluna will celebrate Mass at 9.00 p.m., after which there will be priests available to hear confessions until 2.00 a.m. The Millenium Chapel youths will animate.
- The parish of St Francis, Qawra. Fr Charles Tabone O.P., the Archbishop’s Delegate, will celebrate Mass at 8.00 p.m., after which there will be priests available for confessions until midnight. The Neo-Cathecumenal Movement will animate.
- The chapel at the Archbishop’s Seminary, Tal-Virtù, Rabat. Confessions will be heard between 10.00 p.m. and midnight. The seminarians will animate.
- The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, Gozo. Bishop Mario Grech will celebrate Mass at 6.30 p.m., after which there will be priests available to hear confessions until midnight. The seminarians who attend the Gozo Seminary will animate.
The Bishops encourage the faithful to participate and invite others to participate in this ‘Feast of Forgiveness’, which may serve as an opportunity for those people who feel distanced from God to approach Him. The priest, in the name of Christ, welcomes them with open arms and with a merciful and compassionate heart that is disposed to forgive.
Details of the ‘Feast of Forgiveness’ which will be held on Thursday 10th April, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, will be announced at a later date.
