For Immediate Release
Contact: Maria Zone
Director of Communications
Archdiocese of Hartford
134 Farmington Ave.
Hartford, CT 06105
860-541-6491 or 860-335-0836

Archdiocese of Hartford to Offer Three Masses of Reparation

HARTFORD, Conn. (Jan. 4, 2019) – In seeking to apply spiritual remedies to the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and the tragedy it has caused so many victims, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair will be offering three Masses of Reparation at the following parishes on the following dates:

Sunday, January 27
St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish at St. Bartholomew Church
736 Middle Tpk. East, Manchester
2:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 16
St. George Parish
33 Whitfield Street, Guilford
11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, March 26
Our Lady of Hope Parish at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
78 Litchfield Road, Harwinton
7:00 p.m.

The Archbishop expressed his sadness by saying, “What greater ‘outrage, sacrilege and indifference’ can be hurled at Christ, what greater betrayal, than that one of his priests should sexually violate a child or vulnerable adult? So it is on my knees as a bishop, and on their knees as priests, that we the clergy of this Archdiocese offer Masses of reparation for the crime and sin of sexual abuse.”

He shared this sentiment in correspondence he sent to his archdiocesan clergy and staff. The full letter is attached.

Currently, Archbishop Leonard Blair, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Peter Rosazza are on retreat with the bishops of the United States at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.  This retreat has its focus on prayer and spiritual reflection and not formulating policy in the midst of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the church.

###