Dashboard Confessional: Woburn Church Offers Drive-up Confession

WOBURN, MA — It's not just fast food restaurants offering drive-through service during the coronavirus outbreak. The Woburn Catholic Collaborative is offering drive-up confession for members of the community looking to receive the sacrament.

"It's a nice way to bring the church out to the people," Father Thomas Powers, the Collaborative's pastor, said. "We didn't know what to expect. We just leave it in God's hands."

Members of the Collaborative's two parishes can go to confession Saturdays, 3 to 4 p.m., in the parking lot behind St. Barbara Parish. The pastor waits at the Blessed Mother Statue, or if the weather is bad, in their own car. Additional details are available at woburncatholic.org.

The priests had seen online that other churches are holding confession in parking lots, and thought it was worth a try, Powers said.

"My associate, Father Edmund [Ugwoegbu], was really excited about the possibility of doing doing that," Powers said. "How do we maintain our social distancing of six feet? How do we make sure it's easily accessible?"

Father Edmund Ugwoegbu did the inaugural curbside confession as a test, Saturday. He ha ten visitors in an hour. Ugwoegbu, Powers and one of the Collaborative's scholar priests will rotate hearing confessions, Powers said.

In addition to confession, visitors receive the Spiritual Communion prayer, a prayer that Catholics use when they cannot physically receive communion.

Powers noted that it's currently Lent, a "period of personal reformation," which is a time of year when Catholic parishes see a significant increase in people wanting to go to confession.

"The closer we get to Easter, the more people you need to hear confessions," Powers said.

The Collaborative is also offering drive-up confession Holy Wednesday, April 8, and Good Friday, April 10.

Drive-up collaborative is part of a broader effort the church is making to reach out to the parish during the shutdown, when they can't hold mass in person or administer communion. The churches are also live streaming and broadcasting masses on a daily basis.

"We're letting folks know that we're here, that we're praying for them," Powers said. "We're making an effort to reach out to people who are in their homes, who might be lonely, and keeping that social network, that faith network working."

Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Other Coronavirus coverage

• James, Kim Taylor Donate $1M To Hospital
• Community Helps Save West Newton Cinema During Coronavirus Crisis
• Waltham Helping Waltham During Coronavirus Crisis
• Newton Residents Band Together To Help Those In Need
• Coronavirus: Mask Donations Sought In Framingham | Framingham

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.