August 4 is the feast day of St. John Vianney (1786-1859), the Curé d’Ars.

A priest of limited intellectual skills, he became famous for his piety and the long hours he spent in the confessional, sometimes 16 or more hours a day, listening to penitents.

So renowned did he become that by 1855, about 20,000 pilgrims a year flocked to Ars to see him. This was a stunning number for a village that had a mere 230 people when John Vianney first arrived.

One could say that it was the confessional that helped to make Ars world famous.

Such is the power of the sacrament to change lives. One encounter with the sacrament and God’s mercy can restore peace and hope to a soul and give even longtime sinners a new lease on life.

Astute pastors still understand this. Parishes might have beautiful liturgical music, ample parking, and tasty doughnuts and coffee after the Sunday Masses. But it’s often the amount of time a parish dedicates to confessions that is the best gauge of a community’s spiritual vibrancy.

It’s in the confessional where people drop their pretensions and face their faults honestly.

The humbling experience of confession keeps them open to the truth about themselves and their need for God’s mercy. That is an ingredient for real progress in the spiritual life.

That’s why it is a stellar idea to make confession a regular part of the schedule.

To drive home that point, it might help to make a mini retreat using our retreat guide on the sacrament of reconciliation.

The sacrament that helped to make Ars famous can still make parishes fervent. The path of holiness that John Vianney desired for his parishioners is still open to the faithful today.

In Christ,

Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Ask a Priest contributor