Parishes throughout country to hold prayer for healing and repentance
By RENEE WEBB
Globe associate editor
Posted August 8, 2002

The Diocese of Sioux City will join parishes throughout the country Aug. 14 in offering prayers of healing and repentance. The idea to hold prayer services grew out of the United States bishops' Dallas meeting in June.

"One of the aspects of Dallas that the bishops wanted to convey was a multiple approach to the issue of sexual misconduct of priests. There are responses to the victims; there are policies and procedures; there is education. Yet the major dimension that the bishops did not want to lose sight of is that of prayer and repentance. For us as a church, that is very important in dealing with this issue," said the bishop. "The church in the United States has asked us on that day to pray and do penance."

The Office of Worship in the Diocese of Sioux City has put together a model prayer service, a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament that is encouraged for use by parishes throughout the diocese. The Holy Hour includes readings and a Litany of Healing. The bishop said this Holy Hour would be very appropriate for the occasion. This particular service will conclude with benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

"I would encourage parishes or clusters of parishes to celebrate a Holy Hour on the morning or afternoon of Aug. 14," he said. "This is a time of prayer - not a time for talking or speeches. It is a time to listen to God's word, to pray and to ask the Lord in his mercy to direct his church and help us deal with this crisis."

While the diocese has provided a model Holy Hour, parishes and/or clusters may adapt the service or create one of their own. Some parishes may wish to offer the Holy Hour followed by a vigil Mass for the holy day of obligation, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Bishop DiNardo will lead the Holy Hour at 3 p.m. at Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.

He pointed out that originally the bishops scheduled Sept. 14 for the day of prayer, however, due to its proximity to Sept. 11 celebrations planned for that occasion, it was decided that Aug. 14 was more appropriate. The bishops thought it wiser to hold the service earlier as many are planning ceremonies to mark the first anniversary of the tragedies at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The bishops selected Aug. 14, the vigil of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. In the calendar of the church that day, it is the feast day of St. Maximilian Kolbe. He is a recently canonized saint, a priest who gave his life for one of the prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp in WWII.

"He carried his priesthood and the trust given to him to the extreme of giving his life," said Bishop DiNardo. "I think it is a very appropriate day for us to pray for the church, for the victims of clergy sexual abuse and to pray for our priests that the modeling of the good shepherd will be like that of St. Maximilian Kolbe."

The bishop stressed that the diocese has responded to the sexual abuse crisis in many ways such as by establishing a task force on sexual abuse and a review board.

"The Holy Hour is a way for us to bring the component of prayer and repentance to our variety of responses to the crisis," he said.