Sacraments

Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Confession or Penance, is one of the Church’s seven sacraments. Together with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, they are known as sacraments of healing. The Lord Jesus entrusted to the Church his power to forgive sins. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through the Church’s ministry and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we meet the mercy of God, who is always ready to forgive, heal, and renew us.

In the Sacrament, we confess our sins aloud because we need to honestly admit the ways that we need forgiveness. In the Sacrament, the priest speaks aloud in the name of Jesus, saying, “I absolve you of your sins,” because we need clarity in hearing that we are indeed forgiven. The focus of this Sacrament is not on our sins but on God’s mercy. Still, we need to reckon with what we have done and what we have failed to do, bringing it all to the Sacrament. Examining our conscience in advance detects where we have failed and sinned will help us prepare for the Sacrament.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the sins confessed to the priest are kept confidential, with the priest being under the “seal of confession.” Nothing one tells a priest can be told again outside of confession, linking the penitent to the sin confessed. The celebration of the Sacrament requires three movements: the penitent’s sorrow for sin, the confession of sin to the priest, and the act of penance (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1491). 

The Sacrament can be celebrated in two forms: individual confessions and communal reconciliation services. Individual confessions are offered every Saturday at Holy Name Cathedral from 9:00am to 12:00pm in the lower level of the Cathedral. Communal reconciliation services are held two times a year during the Advent and Lent seasons. In the communal services, the faithful come together for a short Liturgy of the Word, followed by private individual confessions with a priest. The dates for these communal reconciliation services will vary each year. As Pope Francis has said, the confessional should not be treated as a torture chamber; instead, the hope of this Sacrament is found in experiencing the loving embrace of God the Father in the reality of the absolution of sin and being given the grace to move forward on the path of discipleship. 

We offer Confessions every Saturday morning from 9:00am to 12noon on the lower level of the Cathedral.