"the light is on for you" = Confess.

international | crime and justice | other press Thursday February 22, 2007 14:30 by love croker

Washington DC promotes penance.

the Catholic diocese of Washington D.C. has started an advertising campaign to promote the sacrament of "confession" and "penance". With billboard and other notices using the slogan "the light is on for you" the Church hopes to bring back many of the 580,000 catholics in DC to the little box.

Senior church members trying to explain the lack of popularity of the little box point to a general confessional culture - people may go online these days and spill their secrets, transgressions and thus feel better. But that's not enough in their eyes. The Holy Spirit isn't on the net.

I lied, I cheated, I stole, I killed, I coveted, I envied, I ignored, I pretended it was only brits & yanks who could be bad.

Other catholics theorise that rather than a gossip / confessional culture it is rather the lack of awareness of sinning and wrongdoing which has caused the dramatic drop in attendance at confessions not only in Washington but worldwide.

Some non-catholics believe it might have something to do with hypocrisy or not really encouraging people to go into little darkened spaces with priests anymore...

Catholics are of course supposed to go to confession during this season of Lent which began yesterday with the ritual smearing of ash on the foreheads of the faithful.
Putting a few coins in the Trocaire box is not really enough for your eternal and immortal soul.

original report in english from the Washington press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20....html