Penance (Reconciliation)

Not only does it [the Sacrament of Penance] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.  We are liberated to be forgivers.  We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the 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). 

At St. Bernard’s, students in the Religious Education Program prepare for their first Reconciliation in Grade 2.  It is expected that students have completed two years of religious education prior to receiving the sacrament. Students will make their first Reconciliation prior to making their First Communion.

To inquire about the RE Program, please click here.

Confessions are heard on the First and Third Saturdays of the month from 3:30 until 4:00PM, or upon request.  The Confessional is behind the altar in the room closest to the tabernacle (left side, if looking from the center aisle).

(Descriptions taken from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)