Farewell To Father Madanat Commemorative Book

Confessional

When Fr. Madanat first arrived in Portland, he wanted to spend all his free time in “the box”. It was “a chore” to talk him into leaving it to mingle and meet and greet in the hall. Fr. M thinks so much of the dignity of this sacrament that he even had elegant curtains ordered to cover the ugly walls and doors of the confessional closet in Vancouver, in an attempt to make the space look more dignified. As a new priest he never complained about his “pandemic crisis confessional” pictured top left. (in attempt to not use the small confession with no air flow, we used one of the classrooms with a 6 ft table flipped up on end with a red cloth draped over as a screen and that kneeler with those blessed green foam pads.) Then we moved to Vancouver where he sat in an old radio “Bible Hour” recording studio with padded walls and an “On the Air” light that was illuminated when confessions were heard. This room doubled as his office for counseling - sorta that same thing. Thank you, Paul, for making a functional, portable confessional which served us well until we finally installed our dignified confessional. Many have expressed gratitude for the countless absolutions and direction given in this sacred space. Father, may your love and zeal for the penitent stay with you. God bless our confessor, Fr. Madanat.