The God who created us is a merciful Father and His mercy knows no bounds. He is always there, waiting for us to come home to Him, no matter how far sin drifts us away. And the Sacrament of Penance is the gift that we have as Catholics for experiencing God's limitless compassion and understanding of our human condition. It makes no difference how deeply-seated our troubles may be. Confession is a place Catholics can go to experience the joy of receiving God's forgiveness, and celebrating the joy of reconciliation with our Father who gave His life for our redemption.
The Sacrament of Penance is also known as the ‘Sacrament of Reconciliation’ or traditionally called ‘Confession’. It is the rite by which sins are confessed and forgiven. Sin is failure to recognise and love God in the way we think or act. Sin is also not just a failure to love God directly but also a failure to love one another. This is referred to as “the community sense of sin”.
In this sacrament people are forgiven their sins by the words and actions of the priest. We call this ‘Absolution’. The priest represents God and the community who is affected by sin and the priest ministers forgiveness on behalf of God and the community.
The sacrament can be celebrated in a one-to-one encounter with a priest: this is known as ‘individual confession’. Many parishes also organize ‘Penitential Services’ at special times; e.g. Advent, Lent and Parish Missions. In this form of celebration, which is communal, people prepare as a community and many priests hear the confessions individually and people receive absolution individually.
Penance is a sign of sorrow and a commitment to try to make amends. It is also a sign of our sincerity to change our lives. This is what is meant by conversion. When the Sacrament is a communal celebration, the penance is said as a community, once all have had the opportunity to confess. When celebrated in the traditional one-to-one form, a penance is given and the person takes on that penance privately.
Any person who has been baptized and prepared appropriately can celebrate this sacrament.
At St Joseph's Church, every Wednesday from 11-11.45am, every Saturday from 3.45pm - 4.45pm and anytime by making an appointment at the parish office. During Lent and Advent special seasonal penitential services are also organized.