Confession in a shopping mall?

By Patricia O’Connell
CFP Correspondent

Many people appreciate convenience.

Carmelite Father Herbert Jones can attest to that.

His confessional is in a shopping mall.

St. Therese Carmelite Chapel is in the lower level of the Northshore Mall in Peabody. There, Father Jones and two other priests hear confessions on weekdays, a half hour before the three daily Masses, and for two hours on Saturdays.

Saturday is usually the busiest day, according to Father Jones. But, that’s not always the case. Occasionally, a busload of senior citizens will arrive from a nursing home or an assisted living facility. Suddenly, there’s a line of 15-20 people waiting for confession.

He said families with children typically have difficulty getting to confession Saturday afternoon, given the competing sporting events.

There are so many activities – baseball games, basketball games and practices, he noted.

Convenience is a big factor, according to Father Jones. But he believes the big draw is the relative anonymity. Many people, he explained, are uncomfortable confessing their sins to their own pastor.

“We’ve become the confessors for the North Shore,” he quipped.

Father Jones said he’s very careful, in order to respect the desire for anonymity, not to make eye contact with anyone waiting for confession, when he walks past them.
He does think more Catholics are coming to realize we all need to confess our sins, judging by the uptick in traffic just before Christmas.

“We’ve had a lot of people recently mentioning it’s been a long time since their last confession,” he stated, adding, “A little more so this year, than in other years.”

He’s very pleased when people who haven’t been to confession in years, finally return.

“I rejoice with people,” he said. “They come in so nervous. They go floating out.”