In an innovative campaign, the Metro New York and Long Island
Catholic dioceses have turned to young people to help spread the word
about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Archdiocese of New York, the
Diocese of Brooklyn, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre have offered
students an opportunity to create and submit short (up to 1 minute in
length) YouTube style videos to promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The contest, which is open to students in any accredited institution
of learning from across the country, carries a top prize of $25,000 for
the winner, with an additional $25,000 going to the student's school or
parish.
A second prize of $10,000 and multiple third place prizes of
$1,000 will also be awarded.
This campaign is in support of Reconciliation Monday, which will be
celebrated on April 18, when the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known
as Confession or Penance) will be available between the hours of 3:00
p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in every parish in the three dioceses.
The dioceses have launched www.i-confess.com,
a web site to promote the video contest that the students can use to
submit their entries.
The website also has a parish directory to help
those seeking the sacrament locate the Catholic church nearest to them.
The contest is open to students from Catholic, public, and private
schools.
A complete list of contest rules and an entry form can be found
at www.i-confess.com.
After the first week of the campaign there have already been dozens of videos submitted for the contest.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York said "Reconciliation Monday is a
wonderful opportunity for all Catholics, even those who may have been
away from the Church and the sacraments, to experience the healing power
of Christ and be reconciled to God through the Sacrament of Penance."
He continued, "This campaign is an experiment in how new media can be
employed to enable those healings words to echo throughout the world
wide web. I hope that many people will hear the invitation and
respond."
"Last year, tens of thousands of people have availed themselves of
the healing power of the Sacrament" said Bishop William Murphy of
Rockville Centre.
He continued, "Completely convinced as I am of the
beauty and the awesome grace that this sacrament gives us, I invite you
in the name of Jesus Christ, to avail yourself of this sacrament. This
is the place where we always meet God in his total and unbounded love
expressed through His own forgiveness of all our sins. Please come to
the sacrament, especially this Lent and experience the peace that comes
from being bathed in God's merciful love."
"By initiating this campaign, the Bishops of downstate New York have
sent a strong signal, that our world is in need of forgiveness and all
should have an opportunity to avail themselves of the Sacrament of
Penance in a way that is respectful of the complexities finding time in
our modern world." said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn.
The Archdiocese of New York extends from Ulster County to Staten
Island, the Diocese of Brooklyn includes the borough of Queens, and the
Diocese of Rockville Centre encompasses Nassau and Suffolk Counties.