Reconciliation
Contact
Fr. Nicholas Wichert
Pastor
425-483-9400 x2647
frwichert@saintbrendan.org
Process
In preparation, one can review the information under the Resources section.
The Pastor will meet with individuals in a private area known as the confessional. This is located at the rear of the church. As there may be a group of people, you are requested to wait quietly in line. As one person leaves the confessional, the next person may enter and close the door to begin the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When finished, the confessional door may be left open for the next person.
Schedule
Please call the Parish Office at 425-483-9400
Mondays • Wednesdays – Fridays: 7:45 AM to 8:15 AM
Saturdays: 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
A Penance Service with individual confession and absolution is usually celebrated once during Advent and Easter.
Background
Confession, penance and reconciliation – all three words refer to the same sacrament offering the gift of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Not only does 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). While all the Sacraments bring us an experience of the mercy that comes from Christ’s dying and rising, it is the Sacrament of Reconciliation that is the unique Sacrament of mercy. (USCCB.org)
Resources
Seattle Archdiocese Confession Guide – Reconciliation and Penance. For videos, websites and other helpful resources on the sacrament of reconciliation, please visit the Faith Formation Resource website.
Seattle Archdiocese g.
USCCB
How-To Guide
Examination of Consciences
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sin and what sins need to be confessed in the Sacrament of Penance?
Sin is an offense against God that ruptures our communion with Him and with His Church (CCC 1440). It is far more than “breaking the rules,” but is a failure to love God and to love others, which causes real damage in all our relationships.
There are sins totally incompatible with love for God and others (mortal sins, in which genuine love is “dead”), and ones in which love is less grievously wounded (venial or “easily forgiven”).
The Church says that all grave or mortal sins must be confessed as soon as possible (CIC 988).
How often do I need to confess?
The Church recommends that Catholics receive the Sacrament of Penance frequently.
Strictly speaking, after they’ve reached the age of reason, Catholics are obliged to confess their serious sins at least once a year (CIC 989), but the minimum should not be made a maximum.
Catholics should come to confession as soon as possible after they’ve committed a mortal sin. If they’re seeking to grow in holiness, the regular practice of confession at least once a month is recommended.
What is a mortal sin?
A mortal sin involves an action whose object is a grave matter that is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.
Grave matter is generally understood to be something that violates the Ten Commandments. Full knowledge means that one is aware that God or the Church he founded considers the act sinful (even if one doesn’t totally understand why it is sinful). Deliberate consent means a consent sufficiently intentional to be a personal choice (CCC 1857-1859).
What is a venial sin and what are its consequences?
“One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave manner, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment.
Deliberate and unrepentant venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin.
However venial sin does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God; it does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable” (CCC 1862-1863).
Should I go to confession if I’m only aware of having committed venial sins?
Yes. We should not stay away from confession if we’ve committed only venial sins, since the sacrament not only forgives our sins but gives us God’s grace to fight against temptation.
The great saints, who were filled with love of God and seem for the most part to have avoided mortal sins, have confessed very frequently, because the sacrament helps us to grow in God’s grace.
It reveals to us our need for God’s help in the “little things” of the day and leads us to ask for that help.