What is the Sacrament of Penance?

Reconciliation is the sacrament in which we are forgiven by God and the Church for our sins. When we celebrate Reconciliation, we receive God’s help to do God’s loving will, to avoid all forms of sin, and to live as followers of Christ.

• The Rite of Reconciliation includes an Examination of Conscience, in which we think about how well we have been living God’s will;
• Confession, in which we tell our sins to a priest in private;
• Contrition, in which we tell God we are sorry for our sins;
•  Penance, in which we say prayers or do good deeds to make up for the hurt caused by our sins;
• and Absolution, in which the priest forgives us by making the sign of the cross over us and saying in part, “Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” These words and the stole the priest wears are the signs of the sacrament of Reconciliation.