Busy confessional - Deo gratias!

When people have asked me this year how Holy Week went, my principal reason for giving thanks to God is the unprecedented number of confessions there have been in the parish. As I said to the people, this will do our parish more good than raising a million pounds in fundraising.
I built the confessional a couple of years ago because the existing confessional did not look good and was in a space that was perfect for a Lady Chapel. (The Lady chapel has been built and I will do a post on that sometime.) There is a seat for people who can't kneel. It is padded so that people who have arthritis of the spine or other difficulties can be more comfortable. The door is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and the kneeler (and chair) are removable so that a person in a wheelchair can make their confession with dignity.

There is a fixed grille and a curtain to provide anonymity and to give a certain gravitas to the celebration of the sacrament. Under canon law, the penitent is entitled the use of a fixed grille and the priest is entitled to insist on a fixed grille. I will look up the references now and post them now.

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