Reconciliation is an Experience of the Gift of God’s Boundless Mercy.

Not only does it [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.  We are liberated to be forgivers.  We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: “It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church.  The Sacrament is God’s gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven.  In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins.  With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)

~from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults | en español

Reconciliation  [also know as Penance or  Confession] should be received at least once a year, but more often if better for most people. In addition to our regular confession schedule we also celebrate communal Penance Services during the Advent and Lenten seasons.

There are four steps in the Sacrament of Reconciliation:

1. We feel contrition for our sins and a conversion of heart to change our ways.

2. We confess our sins and human sinfulness to a priest.

3. We receive and accept forgiveness (absolution) and are absolved of our sins.

4. We celebrate God’s everlasting love for us and commit to live out a Christian life.

Sin hurts our relationship with God, ourselves and others. As the Catechism states:

The sinner wounds God’s honor and love, his own human dignity…and the spiritual well-being of the Church, of which each Christian ought to be a living stone. To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for the sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world. (CCC 1487, 1488)

A mature understanding of sin includes reflecting upon our thoughts, actions and omissions as well as examining the patterns of sin that may arise in our lives. With contrite hearts, we are also called to reflect upon the effects of our sins upon the wider community and how we might participate in sinful systems.

Reconciliation Schedule
Tuesdays: 8:30 AM
Thursday: 6:00 PM
Saturday: 3:15 PM
or by Appointment