He was inspired by one of the priests in his diocese. From the Albany Times Union:
It’s not a sin for a bishop to steal an idea. After the Rev. Bob Longobucco spent 24 hours straight hearing confessions, Bishop Edward Scharfenberger was so impressed, he decided to do the same. Pastor of the Roman Catholic St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Schenectady, Longobucco performed what the church calls the sacrament of reconciliation 130 times on March 4-5. “It was amazing. It was the best night of my priesthood,” he said. “At 1 o’clock in the morning, there was a two-hour wait. I was shocked at the number of people who came all through the night.” People came from Glens Falls, Valatie, Troy and elsewhere in the Capital Region. Longobucco said people’s desire to confess their sins and receive forgiveness kept him engaged so he did not flag. “I had much more energy than I thought,” he said. “People were coming who were hungry for the sacrament of reconciliation. My excitement was so high.” Scharfenberger said he was inspired by Longobucco’s service to the point that he decided to perform his own 24-hour session. “Pope Francis had invited the larger parishes around the world to have 24 hours of confession,” he said, noting that Longobucco took up the challenge as the sole priest in his parish. “I was so moved by his doing that, but also by the results of it,” he said. “I said ‘I’m going to do it.’ I got calls from a number of priests who said ‘Count on me.’ ” Scharfenberger will be at St. Mary’s Parish in Glens Falls from 9 a.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday.
Read it all. I hope Bishop Ed is stocked with lots of coffee.
And today we celebrate...