PARISH REPORT: Man Receives Light Penance, Seeks Second Opinion

PARISH REPORT: Man Receives Light Penance, Seeks Second Opinion September 16, 2015

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(AoftheANews) CHEBOYGAN – Stuart Merkelson, a parishioner at Saints Abbot and Costello in Cheboygan, WI, exited the confessional this past Saturday and immediately posted on his Facebook page: “Went to confession, and father gave me a super light penance. Where can I get a second opinion??”

His post received 431 likes in six hours, and scores of comments.

“I just don’t understand it,” Stuart told AoftheA News. “I was in there for like fifteen minutes, confessing a list of sins as long as my arm, and all he gave me was a couple Hail Mary’s. What the heck is that all about? What sins would I have to commit in order to get a whole decade? It’s cheap mercy like this that keeps people from coming to confession, that’s what it is.”

He told AoftheA News that he’s met with other priests in the Cheboygan area, and so far, the hardest penance he’s received is to recite three Our Fathers, and to spend five minutes reflecting on the daily Gospel. He’s considering approaching the bishop.

“I’ve four more priests to contact,” he said, “and if they don’t meet my standards, I just might write the bishop. This is ridiculous.”

Photo Credit: The Photographer [Creative Commons] via Wikimedia

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