Before the doors had even opened, so to speak, two lines of cars were stretched around the parking lot at The Highlands School in Irving, eager to see the men in white robes on the first weekend of spring.

Under a light mist, the Rev. Michael Picard, a Regnum Christi priest, blessed a parishioner at The Highlands School in Irving. Priests took confessions from parishioners under tents as they drove up in their cars Sunday, March 22, 2020. With public spaces shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, churches are getting creative about providing sacramental relief to their members. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

The lines were a measure of how the coronavirus has disrupted life as we know it — but people weren’t here to load up on anything. Instead, they were here to drop something off — their sins.

With churches and other public places closed throughout the area, Regnum Christi priests began hearing “drive-through confessions” outside the private school as a means of keeping Catholics connected to their faith while practicing the social distancing measures advised by health officials.

“This is a challenging time for priests,” said the Rev. Fergal O’Duill, one of eight priests who are affiliated with the Dallas-Fort Worth branch of Regnum Christi, an international Catholic movement. “People are suffering and nervous. We’re trying to be creative about how to reach out, but at the same time being prudent to avoid contagion.”

A pair of red tents had been set up at either end of the school’s cleaver-shaped parking area, with a pair of chairs set underneath for O’Duill and his colleague, the Rev. Michael Picard.

The Rev. Michael Picard, a Regnum Christi priest, disinfected a parishioner's chair after a confession at The Highlands School in Irving. Priests took confessions from parishioners under tents as they drove up in their cars Sunday, March 22, 2020. With public spaces shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, churches are getting creative about providing sacramental relief to their members.(Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

The whole thing was an idea floated after O’Duill (pronounced O’Doul) learned of a priest in Maryland who was doing the same thing, and they weren’t sure how it would fly. But the growing line of cars, pickups and SUVs, some packed with families, indicated they were onto something.

Before long, a third priest had to be called in to help handle the demand.

“I’m not surprised,” said Jennifer Lyness, the school’s marketing coordinator. “I know how hungry people are. We’ve been sequestered with our kids for a while now.”

She laughed.

“We have a lot to confess.”

Under the tents, the priests’ chairs were positioned so they faced away from the vehicles, to allow the anonymity typically practiced with the Catholic sacrament of penance.

Under a light mist, the Rev. Michael Picard (right), a Regnum Christi priest, prayed for Anabel Cardova of Coppell as he listened to her confessions at The Highlands School in Irving. Priests took confessions from parishioners under tents as they drove up in their cars Sunday, March 22, 2020. With public spaces shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, churches are getting creative about providing sacramental relief to their members.(Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Drivers could roll down their windows and confess from a short distance, or leave their vehicles and speak with priests from chairs set 6 feet away. Many opted for the latter, especially those who had brought their kids.

“You can’t have somebody in the car with you while you give your confession,” O’Duill said.

Among the penitent were five young women who had hiked over from the nearby University of Dallas, in addition to Highlands School alumni such as Blake Everett of Coppell, who now attends a non-Catholic college and said he hadn’t had the chance to go to confession for a year.

“This is awesome,” Everett said of the idea of drive-through confessions instead of the traditional church setting. “I don’t think the place matters that much. Wherever it is, it’s still holy.”

Mary De Los Santos of Irving had come with her five children, ages 4 to 17, who in the absence of games or practices had been relegated to life at home.

“It’s…a challenge,” De Los Santos said. “This is a great idea. It gives us hope, tells us that God is still here. It’ll give us a boost to continue surviving these challenging days.”

Under a light mist, the Rev. Michael Picard, a Regnum Christi priest, said a blessing for passengers unable to exit a vehicle at The Highlands School in Irving. Priests took confessions from parishioners under tents as they drove up in their cars Sunday, March 22, 2020. With public spaces shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, churches are getting creative about providing sacramental relief to their members.(Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

For O’Duill, this isn’t the first time he’s heard confessions in nontraditional locations, having had to make do at retreats, for instance, or at World Youth Day events.

“You have to think out of the box,” he said. “But you do so while keeping the dignity of the sacrament.”

The apparent success was encouraging, and the Regnum Christi priests are working with city officials in hopes of offering the drive-through confessions again by next weekend, when Holy Week begins, while still complying with shelter-in-place orders.

Information will be posted at the school’s and Regnum Christi Dallas’ Facebook pages, he said.

Although the current times are challenging, he said, the sudden halt of life’s hamster wheel offers time for reflection on how people live — and for some, he said, a chance for absolution.

“This is a dramatic time,” O’Duill said. “People are suffering, and there will be a lot more of that before it’s over. But it’s also a time of opportunity — people have a lot of time to think about what’s really important.”