The Sacrament of Reconciliation, sometimes referred to as Confession, the Sacrament of Mercy, the Sacrament of Penance, gives us the opportunity to repent of our sins and receive the forgiveness and mercy of God through absolution.

At Baptism we are washed of original sin but during our lives we turn away from God through sin and to reconcile our faults we must answer Jesus’ call to conversion through confessing our sins to God through the Priests through whole God acts. Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins

The Sacrament involves us first carrying out an examination of conscience before God. This is when we think back through our lives and identify the actions, throughs, words or moments of inaction that have offended God and hurst others. In the confessional, we then confess these to God through the Priest and then say the Act of Contrition, “Oh My God, because you are so good, I am very sorry that I have sinned against you, and by the help of your grace, I will try not sin again.Amen.” or a similar version. The Priest will then absolve us from our sins and ask us to do an act of penance to show that we are truly sorry for our faults. This may be prayer or an act of charitable work, or most especially during this year, a Spiritual or Corporal Work of Mercy.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated at St. Peter’s every Saturday, 11–11:45am and at other times throughout the year. These will be advertised in the Newsletter.