Erie bishop to distribute ashes at shopping mall

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — It’s Ash Wednesday so Erie’s Roman Catholic bishop is going to ... the mall?

Bishop Donald Trautman and another priest, will be at the Roman Catholic Chapel in the Millcreek Mall, just west of the city, to hear confessions and distribute ashes on the first day of Lent from noon to 6 p.m.

Trautman opened the mall chapel on Ash Wednesday 2008 in hopes of encouraging more Catholics to participate in confession. Trautman says the chapel is a way to reconnect with Catholics who may have drifted away from their faith.

Catholics receive ashes on their forehead to mark the 40-day season of repentance leading up to Easter.