This Sunday, on March 3, our two parishes are offering a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at 1 pm at St. Brigid Church.  During the two years of pandemic restrictions, it was not possible to use the confessionals due to social distancing and poor ventilation.  We have returned in the past year to offering confession at 3:30 pm at St. Brigid before the Saturday 4 pm Mass and at 6:30 pm at St. James before the Sunday 7 pm Mass.  It is always possible to make an appointment with me at a mutually convenient time for confession.

The communal Reconciliation service is a hybrid of a liturgical service with hymn, prayer, Scripture, and homily followed by private confession with a priest.  For some who like a scheduled service rather than making an individual appointment, this is an ideal way to return to the sacrament if you haven’t celebrated it for a while.

There is no “wrong” way to go to confession as some people fear.  It begins with the sign of the Cross (a baptismal gesture) and the well-known, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”  While many of us were taught to say, “It has been x days/months/years since my last confession,” the reality is that most of us don’t remember how long it has been.  The next step is simply saying, “These are my sins.”

I am often asked how explicit or specific our description of sin must be.  There is no “rule” regarding this. The purpose for stating the sin out loud is to benefit the penitent. We speak our truth without rationalization. Rather than stressing over specificity, it is OK to be general.  Example: “I am often impatient with others.” 

The priest will assign a penitential act. Penance is not punishment for sin as many of us were taught, but rather an act of gratitude to God for being forgiven.  The “Act of Contrition” is then said (easily found on the internet or in our Breaking Bread hymnals).  You will receive absolution after that with those wonderful words from Jesus Christ, “I forgive you of all of your sins.” 

The real value of the sacrament is that we speak our truth about our sinfulness out loud in a safe place, and we hear out loud that God forgives our sin. By experiencing the fullness of God’s mercy, hopefully we become more merciful to others.  Please join us on Sunday afternoon, and feel free to invite family and friends who might wish to participate!     Fr. Gary