The Sacrament of Reconciliation, commonly known as confession, or the Sacrament of Penance, is open to children who are also preparing to receive their first Holy Communion. The importance of becoming sensitive to right and wrong and making responsible choices begins at an early age. Children are encouraged to form the habit of frequent confession. Preparation for First Reconciliation takes place in the context of 2nd grade religious education classes. There must be evidence that the children participating have previously been involved in at least one year of religious education. Please contact our parish office for further information.
There are four steps in the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
- We feel contrition for our sins and a conversion of heart to change our ways.
- We confess our sins and human sinfulness to a priest.
- We receive and accept forgiveness (absolution) and are absolved of our sins.
- 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)