To receive the Sacrament of Penance for the first time, contact our Religious Education Office at 732-769-6262 to discuss RCIA if you are an adult, or our CCD Program for children.
After your First Penance, confession with a priest is available at St. Catherine's every Saturday from 3:00-4:00pm and by appointment any other time. During Lent and Advent there are additional times during the week for scheduled confession.
Penance frees us from our sins and reconciles us with God, while at the same time challenging us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We are called to forgive. When fully understood the words of the Prayer of St. Francis come to life: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."
Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Catholic Church. The Sacrament of Penance is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven. In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God.It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins. With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church.The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
Information and the following external links are from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
Pray
Learn
- Explore the USCCA to learn about the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and its impact on the individual and the life of the Church.
- God's Gift of Forgiveness: A Pastoral Exhortation on the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation
- The Four Steps of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
- Why Should I Confess My Sins to a Priest?