Reconciliation
“It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.”
“It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner’s personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.”
“It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a ‘confession’—acknowledgment and praise—of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
“It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.”
“It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: ‘Go; first be reconciled to your brother’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1423-1424).
“Christ’s call to conversion [after Baptism] continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, ‘clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.’ This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a ‘contrite heart,’drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1428).
“St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church, ‘there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1429; see also St. Ambrose Epistulae 41, 12).
We offer Confessions every Saturday from 9:00am – 12:00noon. There is no advance registration required but we will take your name and email address per our COVID-processes for contact tracing purposes only (if needed).