Baptism cleanses us of Original Sin and its effects, making of us a wholly new creation in Christ. However, we know that we are still capable of falling back into “old ways”, through the human weakness, selfishness and temptations that affect us all. For this reason, Christ gave his Church the authority to forgive sins in his name (see John 20:22-23) and Christians, from earliest times, have sought ways to experience this forgiveness of God for sins committed after Baptism (see for example 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, or James 5:16).

The Sacrament of Penance – or of Reconciliation, known also as the Sacrament of Confession – is the Church’s way of experiencing this forgiving grace of God. The Church looks for three things: a repentant heart (“a firm purpose of amendment”) which seeks honestly to change for the better with the help of God’s grace; an integral confession of sin (naming those specific things we have done, or those attitudes or thoughts we harbour that fall short of charity or virtue, or at leat those we can honestly recall); the prayer of Absolution, in which the priest, in the name of the Church (and not in his own name!) brings the forgiveness of God through the power of the Holy Spirit (again as in John 20:23). An act of amendment is given as a sign on the penitent’s part of their desire to make a new start, sometimes in the form of a prayer and sometimes in the form of a specific act of charity or an action which makes amends for any sin confessed where appropriate.

The “Catechsim of the Catholic Church” sums it up like this:

“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 and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labours for their conversion.” (CCC, paragraph 1422)

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available in our parish on Saturday mornings after the 10.00am Mass and Saturday evenings from 5.15-5.45pm and after the Vigil Mass. However, it is also available on request or as needed. In addition, we usually hold Penitential Services during Advent and Lent to prepare for the great feasts of Christmas and Easter, with a number of priests available for individual Confession and Absolution. Watch the Bulletin for these when they are announced.