Archdiocese of Hartford Announces ‘masses of Reparation’ for Priest Sex Abuse

By Jenna Carlesso
Hartford Courant
January 4, 2019

https://cour.at/2Ruak6d

As the Archdiocese of Hartford prepares to release the names of clergy members accused of sexual abuse, Archbishop Leonard Blair has arranged a series of Masses dedicated to the hot-button subject.

Three “Masses of reparation” have been scheduled for the coming months, with the first set for Jan. 27 at St. Bartholomew Church in Manchester. In the Catholic tradition, an act of reparation is a prayer for pardon and forgiveness, not only for one’s own misdeeds, but for others’ offenses as well.

The mass at St. Bartholomew will begin at 2 p.m. A second service is scheduled for 11 a.m. at St. George Church in Guilford on Feb. 16, and a third for 7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Harwinton on March 26.

“It is certainly true that offering a Mass is not of itself sufficient to address the grievous suffering and betrayal experienced by victims,” Blair said in a statement Friday. “Our archdiocese is committed to doing everything humanly possible to heal their wounds. That includes efforts like public acknowledgement and apology, counseling and support groups, and a renewed invitation on my part to meet personally with the victims.”