Skaro pilgrims confess sins

Pilgrimage offers special opportunity for Reconciliation

- WCR photo by Bill Glen Pilgrims watch as the banner-led procession proceeds through the grotto.

By BILL GLEN
WCR Staff Writer
Skaro

Helen Kuchmak began participating in the Skaro pilgrimage more than 50 years ago when she was a young bride. Every year she came with her husband Walter, whose family helped build the grotto. They always went to Confession.

But this year held a special significance for her. She came alone.

"My husband is in the General (continuing care centre) on dialysis," said Kuchmak, a retired farmer now living in Radway. "For the past three years, I've been bringing him here in a wheelchair. But now he cannot stand, so I could not take him."

A warm August evening greeted the more than 2,000 pilgrims who attended the 88th annual event held every Aug. 14-15 for Polish and other Catholics since the shrine, a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France, was built in 1919.

Kuchmak sat on the grotto wall near an empty confessional awaiting a priest to hear her sins. The men were still eating dinner. She was eager to be reconciled.

"We lost a son three years ago. When I go to Confession, I pray for his soul and I feel better. I'm praying for the health of my husband so he can walk again," Kuchmak said. "We say we won't sin but we don't have the willpower. "

About a dozen confessionals are placed around the perimeter of the shrine for the pilgrims. Young and old, hundreds of people take the opportunity to be absolved of their sins.

Closer to God

Reconciliation is a means to bring a person closer to God, says Father John Hesse. The retired priest said he had been to the pilgrimage about 25 times.

"Probably the most consoling and gratifying experience as a priest is to be able to celebrate the forgiveness of sins because it is what we are called to be - forgiving people," he said. "Just as we accept God's forgiveness, we have to forgive ourselves and others."

- WCR photo by Bill Glen Fr. Duncan Mac Donnell hears a pilgrim's confession.

Brittany Brault-Mahe attended the pilgrimage for the first time. The 11-year-old came with her father, Francois Mahe, from their St. Paul home.

"This is my second time going to Confession," she said, with her father nearby. "I was nervous my first time but I felt better after."

Francois said he did not have to encourage her. "It's a good thing because she was excited to go. I didn't have to push her into anything. It's a growing experience for her," he said.

A tradition

Now married almost 53 years, Norm and Fran Purschke grew up near Skaro although they did not meet each other until they began attending local dances. They said coming to Confession has been a family tradition for many years.

"I remember my parents bringing me (to Confession) as a child," Norm said. "It's important to us because if we don't have faith, we have nothing. We try to set an example for younger people," he said.

The Purschkes are members of St. Michael-Resurrection Parish in Edmonton. "It brings us closer to Jesus," said Fran. "It is a relief to let our sins go to another person."

The doors are always open for a person who has not received the sacrament of Reconciliation for several years, or who might be afraid to admit his faults, Hesse said. "When we know God loves us with an everlasting love and he is more than ready to forgive us our faults and sins, it helps," he said.

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