n this compelling episode of Catholic in America, host Jason Adkins is joined by Professor James O’Toole, historian and professor at Boston College, to explore the rise, and stunning decline, of one of Catholicism’s most defining and intimate practices: the sacrament of confession.
Drawing from his acclaimed book For I Have Sinned: The Sacrament of Confession in American Catholicism (Harvard University Press), Professor O’Toole offers a vivid and fascinating portrait of how confession once shaped American Catholic life, not only spiritually, but culturally, psychologically, and communally, and why its disappearance in recent decades matters more than we realize.
With historical anecdotes, deep cultural insights, and reflections on theology, psychology, and modernity, this episode tackles big questions:
- Why did Catholics stop going to confession?
- How did the Church’s view of sin and repentance evolve?
- And can this powerful sacrament be renewed for today?
Whether you go to confession regularly, haven’t been in years, or simply wonder what happened to this sacred practice, this episode offers both answers and hope.
OSV News – Visit www.osvnews.com
for Catholic news and commentary
Jason Adkins, host of Catholic in America, engages our own time, culture, and political milieu with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to explore how to live more fully Catholic. With so much to explore, we have guests from a variety of perspectives and faith backgrounds, and conversations do not necessarily constitute endorsements.
Catholic in America is an OSVNews.com podcast partnership. Support Catholic in America by becoming a patron of the show here.
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