Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will commission more than 11,000 Catholics as "home visitors" at a special ceremony January 16, 1999. More than 3500 representatives of this group will be present at the ceremony at Villanova University's Pavilion.

10:30 a.m.
Saturday, January 16, 1999
The Pavilion
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Those who are commissioned will hand-deliver personal invitations from Cardinal Bevilacqua to registered Catholics, inviting them to take part in Reconciliation Weekend, March 19- 20, 1999, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's major millennium event for 1999. During that weekend, confessions will be heard in 81 designated millennium churches throughout the Archdiocese.

The commissioning ceremony is the third phase of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's five- phase program to focus on the sacrament of Penance. Phase One is the continuing Journey of the Millennium Cross of Reconciliation through the Archdiocese. Phase Two was the very successful "1-877-BLESS ME" hotline in which people, Catholic and non-Catholic, spoke confidentially with a priest as a first step towards returning to the sacrament of Reconciliation. Phase Three is the commissioning ceremony, and Phase Four will be the actual home visits by those commissioned. Phase Five is Reconciliation Weekend.

#####

Contact
Cathy Rossi
Director
215-587-3747