Reconciliation
…he [Jesus] breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’” (John 20:22-23)
We know that Jesus, when he walked this earth, forgave people’s sins over and over again. And so the above quote from the Gospel of John gives us the basis of Jesus’ institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, says, “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 labors for their conversion.” (LG §2)
Preparation for First Reconciliation is given during the 2nd grade at St. Francis Solanus School and in the Parish School of Religion (PSR) program. Since parents are the first and primary teachers of their children, they play an important role in this preparation. As with the “sacraments of Christian Initiation,” the parish helps parents by providing a program and materials to guide them in preparing their children for this sacrament forgiveness.
Parents are required to attend the First Reconciliation parent meeting. This meeting provides parents with information on how to help prepare their child for this sacrament. They also receive a home study book that will help their child prepare for the worthy reception of their First Reconciliation.
For weekly confession times, please see our Mass & Confession Schedules page.
