A local priest decided the fair was a great place for a Catholic booth -- and it turned out to be a huge success, with most of the draw coming from young people.
Despite sweltering triple-digit heat, an annual county fair buzzed with activities in the quaint town of Washington, Missouri. The Washington Town and Country Fair has been held nearly 100 years, starting in 1929, and includes livestock shows, carnival rides and booths much like those you’d see at farmers' markets or craft shows. However, this year had a rather unusual booth: a Catholic Country Confessional started by Fr. Ryan Truss.
The priest is the associate pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Washington and St. John the Baptist-Gildehaus, and chaplain at St. Francis Borgia High School.
The idea came while Fr. Truss was at the fair last year and spoke with someone who said they had not been to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for a long time.
I realize the idea to hear confessions at the fair is kind of crazy! It actually occurred to me last year while I was at the fair, but it was really just a joke at first. I think someone told me that they hadn’t been to confession in a long time and I said, "We could set up a confessional right here at the fair!”
The idea persisted over the course of the year. "The more it did, the more I thought maybe this is coming from the Holy Spirit,” he said in an interview later featured in the St. Louis Review.
Fr. Truss gained the support of other priests who helped him, such as Fr. Nick Winker, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Fr. Jeff Maassen, pastor of St. Francis Borgia Parish and Assumption in New Haven, and others. These priests divided their time at the booth hearing confessions, while parishioners staffed the booth to offer rosaries, holy cards, and other sacramentals.
A Catholic-themed photo booth available for participants was part of the fun, helping to create a very inviting booth so that anyone interested would come visit, Catholic or not. The confessional was equipped with red and green lights to indicate when a confessional was open and an 8-foot Divine Mercy image stood to welcome all.
Fr. Truss explained that the Divine Mercy image is quite common in the Washington area. “Washington — and Franklin County as a whole — is a deeply Catholic area,” he said. “Everywhere you drive around here, you see the Divine Mercy image with the words, ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’”
A huge draw -- especially for youth!
As it turned out, the Catholic booth received rave reviews.
“It was successful beyond anything I could have imagined,” said Father Truss. “Lots of people turned out to come to confession at the fair.”
He estimated that more than half of those who visited the “Washington Catholics” booth were high schoolers or college students. “Many people told me they were coming to confession because they had been invited by a friend.” Offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation was a huge draw.
Fr. Truss lost his voice at one point due to shouting over the country fair’s evening concerts, but during those events was also when he was busiest.
Even with the scorching heat, Fr. Truss and other priests were in full clerical attire, surprising many passersby, according to the priest. “On occasion, as I was extending my hands for absolution, I would look up and see people staring at us as they walked past — not staring in a rude way, but in a way that showed they were deeply moved by the sight. Perhaps God will use that sight to bring even more people back to Him.”
Overall, the Washington Catholics’ booth was a huge success. “Even if they didn’t receive the sacrament right then and there, my hope is that it was a reminder to them of God’s love and mercy. I also think that the power of invitation is HUGE."
