reconciliation
reconciliation
“God’s mercy is a great light of love and tenderness.” Pope Francis
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift from God. It is a joyful encounter with the love and mercy of Jesus. Confessing our sins reconciles us to God and restores our relationship with him.
The Sacrament is a gift which comes from Jesus himself. Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to his Apostles and it was handed on through the centuries. Today, we hear the great words of love and mercy in Confession when Jesus says, through the Priest, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus came to heal the sick. He cured many of physical illnesses, but he was most concerned with the soul. Jesus wants to remove anything that holds us back from full life with him. In the Sacrament, Jesus forgives sins and heals us. This is a joyful encounter with Jesus which we can and should come back to regularly.
"And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and given us the Ministry of Reconciliation."
2 Corinthians 5: 18
children
“Confession is the soul’s bath, even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again.” St Padre Pio
In our Parish, children are prepared for the wonderful gift of this Sacrament in year 3 or above. Preparation takes place as part of the First Holy Communion Programme.
Children learn about the God who loves them so much that he gives us the Sacrament of Reconciliation so the things which get in the way of that love can be removed. For more detail on the programme, make sure you check out our Eucharist page.
If you have any questions you can use the form below:
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
John 20: 22-23
“Remember: the same God who forgave Moses the murderer, Rahab the prostitute, David the adulterer, Peter the denier and Paul the Christian persecutor, can forgive you also.” Matt Fradd
adults
Adult preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is carried out through a journey of faith called RCIA. For more information on this process click here.
If you have been away from the Sacrament for a while there is nothing to fear. Each of our priests will welcome you back with love and tenderness. You can mention to any of the priests that you’ve been away for a while and they will guide you. You can come to the Sacrament during the Parish times or if you feel more comfortable, if it has been a while, you can arrange to meet a priest. Just fill in the form below and we will be in touch.
