Approximately 70 people were in attendance at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on Dec. 12, when Bishop Thomas John Paprocki held an Evening of Repentance and Prayer for Those Harmed in the Church. Identical services were held simultaneously in each of the other six deaneries of the Springfield diocese at: Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Mt. Zion; St. Boniface in Edwardsville; St. Francis of Assisi in Teutopolis; Our Saviour Church in Jacksonville; St. Agnes Church in Hillsboro; and Blessed Sacrament Church in Quincy.

Bishop Paprocki said he wanted the evening to be modeled after Blessed Pope John Paul II's Day of Pardon, which was held on the First Sunday of Lent, March 12, 2000, as part of the observation of the Great Jubilee of the new millennium. In his homily Bishop Paprocki said the title chosen for the evening of repentance and prayer was "given much thought and reflection."

"In calling this an 'Evening of Repentance and Prayer for Those Harmed in the Church' the preposition 'in' is important," he said. "People may be harmed in the church by her sinful and imperfect agents, but people are never harmed by the church, which is the holy means of our salvation."

In his 1994 apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente (As the Third Millennium Approaches) Blessed Pope John Paul II helped people understand "that we are asking for forgiveness for the sons and daughters of the church, not for the church per se for she is the holy bride of Christ," Bishop Paprocki said.

"This was the heart of Blessed John Paul II's plans for the Great Jubilee of 2000," he said. "That the church cleanse its historical conscience at the end of the second millennium, in preparation for a new springtime of evangelization in the third.

"Similarly, it is my prayerful hope that we can have a new springtime of evangelization in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois," he said, "but in preparation we must first cleanse our historical conscience.

Bishop Paprocki recalled when his predecessor Bishop George J. Lucas, now the Archbishop of Omaha, wrote a Pastoral Letter on Reconciliation in 2008. Bishop Lucas wrote, "I want to ask for forgiveness for the offenses caused by any representatives of the church, and I want to call all members of our diocese to a renewed effort at reconciliation in our families, our parishes and our communities."

"It is in that same spirit that I express repentance for the sins of the members of the church who have harmed others," he said. "Sometime these harms were evil in themselves, such as the sins of racism and the sexual abuse of minors, as well as other forms of unchastity.

"At other times, the harms may have been done in the context of actions that were in themselves not sinful and may even have been necessary for pastoral or economic reasons, such as the closing of a church or school, but nonetheless were done in a way that was insensitive to the feelings of those who would be affected."

Bishop Paprocki said the Dec. 12 repentance was "an Advent preparation for the rebirth of a Christmas spirit in the church, a spirit that can celebrate anew the joy of Christian faith with the innocence of a small child."

In closing, Bishop Paprocki referenced the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is Dec. 12. "In the image of our Blessed Mother that miraculously appeared on the cloak of Juan Diego, the Virgin Mary is depicted as being pregnant," he said. "As such, we join in Mary's joyful expectation and anticipation of the birth of her son."

Following the homily, which was also read in other services throughout the diocese, members of the Diocesan Curia led the prayers during the Litany of Repentance. Following each prayer Bishop Paprocki went to the altar to light one of seven candles.

The litany included prayers for sins in general; those of clerical sexual abuse of minors; other sins of unchastity; those of theft and financial misconduct; lack of pastoral sensitivity in closing parishes and schools; sins of negligence or unresponsiveness to parishioners' spiritual needs and for failing to live a holy life.

After he lighted the last candle, Bishop Paprocki reverenced the cross and kissed the wounds of Jesus. He then returned to his chair and prayed the Our Father before giving his blessing and dismissing the congregation. He later greeted visitors at a reception in the Cathedral Atrium.

Pat Kornfeld, victim abuse assistance coordinator for the Springfield diocese, was one of the coordinators for the evening. "We're here to recognize the harm that has been done and to pray for healing," she said, adding that anyone who wishes to report abuse suffered in the diocesan church is asked to call her at (217) 321-1155.