A penance service is basically a prayer service followed by individual confession. The parish that does this normally gets the help of nearby priests so that people don’t have to wait too long for confession.
Our parish has had penance services. We start with Mass. There are usually 5 or 6 priests in attendance so that after Mass everyone can stay and go to confession. Usually the homily has something to do with forgiveness and confession. That’s basically it. It’s not a blanket absolution.
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