The sacrament of reconciliation is offered at Holy Family in our reconciliation room, located in the vestibule area of the church. The reconciliation room allows for either an anonymous setting or a face to face approach. Some people find it comforting to make an appointment with one of the priests for individual reconciliation. In this case, one meets the confessor in his office in the Pastoral Center.

During Advent and Lent, Holy Family Church offers a communal Reconciliation Service. Generally, the service includes the Liturgy of the Word, a reflection on the readings, and an examination of conscience. Priests from nearby parishes assist at these services so that there is a sufficient number to hear individual confessions.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturdays, 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Reconciliation Room, Holy Family Church
If this is not convenient, a priest is also available by appointment.

About the Sacrament of Reconciliation
The well-known parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the most strikingly powerful illustration of the human process of reconciliation, and of the theology inherent in the rite of reconciliation. Some of us identify with the prodigal son, the one who sheepishly comes home seeking some mercy; some of us identify with the older son, wanting to list our shortcomings, suffer, and then move on. Few of us identify with the forgiving father who is not at all interested in hearing the transgressions of the son, but would rather celebrate the reconciliation. We are all called to be like the forgiving father and to accept the infinite mercy of God, the loving parent, in the sacrament of reconciliation.

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, we knew this sacrament by another name, "confession," a term that reminds us of verbalizing our wrongdoings, disclosing our failures and telling our sins to a priest, who absolved us from making such bad choices and declared God's forgiveness.

Another popular term was "penance," from the Latin meaning "allowing the spirit to be overturned in order to make it turn toward God." Through the ritual of penance we undergo a kind of conversion; we change our hearts under the Lord's grace. Through penance, we turn from being separated from our God, to a closer union with God.

Sin means "missing the mark." In missing the mark — the ideals Jesus outlined for us in his life and teaching — we rupture our relationship with God, with one another and with ourselves. Calling the sacrament "reconciliation" focuses our attention on the multiple impact of sin upon relationships and the ability of this ritual to heal those severed or weakened bonds.

The Value of the Sacrament

• We unburden ourselves to another caring person, an interested listener, and one who strives to lift us from our troublesome situations.
• By hearing the words of absolution, we walk away experiencing God's mercy, the knowledge of God's forgiveness, and the feeling of guilt removed.
• As Catholics, we believe that all sacraments give God's love, grace. The special graces from reconciliation restore us to wholeness.