The Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance

Sunday:
10:15 - 10:45AM
7:30 - 8:00PM (Before Sunday Masses)

Weekdays:
Monday: 11:30 - 12PM, 8:30 - 9:20PM (Newman)
Tuesday: 4:30 - 5:00PM
Wednesday: 4:30 - 5:00PM
Thursday: 4:30 - 5:00PM
Friday: 11:30 - 12PM

Saturday:
Following 9:00am Mass until 10am, 2:30-3:30pm

If you would like to set up an individual time for confession you can e-mail Fr. Jacob directly click here.

Confessions are in St. Mary's (except for Monday nights, which are in Newman).

The confessional in St. Mary's is in the back of the Church on the right side when facing the altar. The confessional in Newman is a small room in the upstairs hallway outside the Chapel, which has a fan outside it.

We experience God’s mercy and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance also known as Confession or Reconciliation.

A Step by Step Guide to Confession:

1. Prior to entering the confessional, examine your conscience for any sins you have committed (Use a guide, such as the one listed below).

2. Enter the confessional and make the Sign of the Cross. The Priest will greet you and may offer a short reading from Sacred Scripture.

3. Tell the priest the last time you visited this sacrament: "Bless me Father for I have sinned, my last confession was ... ago, and these are my sins..."

4. If you do not know how to confess, feel uneasy, scared, or ashamed, ask the priest to assist you, and he will kindly help you make a good confession. This is more common than you'd think.
   

5. Confess your sins in number and kind (ex: "I lied 3 times since my last confession"). It's best to start with Mortal sins first. Remember, the Priest would rather die than reveal any sin.

6. When you are done, say "For these and all of my sins I am truly sorry." The priest will give you some counsel and assign you a penance (remember this).

7. Recite an Act of Contrition (the words are printed on a picture in the confessional, but an example is also found below).

8. The priest will give you Absolution, in which God forgives your sins. At the end of the prayer answer: “Amen.”

9. Lastly, the Priest will give you a final dismissal. Exit the confessional, complete your penance, and give thanks to God for forgiving you again! Our God is Love and Mercy!
   
   

Act of Contrition:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishment, but most of all because I offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.