And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and given us the Ministry of Reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18
Jesus said….“when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your souls. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.”
From the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska 1602
The sacraments are core to our faith. The sacrament of Reconciliation is about the mercy of Jesus Christ. Honestly confessing our sins reconciles us to God and restores us to His grace and intimate friendship. Confession breaks the power of shame and the hurt of sin; it restores and revitalizes our relationships within the community of faith in the life of our Church. To encourage you please watch Father James’ homily on why he goes to Confession as well as Father Michael’s homily on the similarity between cleaning the house and Confession.
We look forward to administering the Sacrament to you.
DO YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE THIS? – FATHER MICHAEL KEARNEY
Fr. Michael responds “Amen” to this question; listen as he speaks about one of the crucial reasons why Fr. Michael and Fr. James (and all priests) encourage us to go to that which they were ordained for.
DO YOU TRUST ME? – FATHER JAMES GUARASCIO
“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and only then eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
IT’S TIME TO CLEAN THE HOUSE – FATHER MICHAEL KEARNEY
You can look at Advent as when our Church is asking us to prepare our hearts for the wonderful guest that is to come; Jesus Christ. Listen as Father Michael has 3 suggestions on how we can prepare for our Lord this Christmas season.
CONFESSION – FATHER JAMES GUARASCIO
Would you rather have your life defined by fear, shame, and pride? Or God’s love? Listen as Father James speaks from his own varied experiences of the sacrament of reconciliation.
CONFESSIONS HELD IN RECONCILIATION ROOMS ON
Tuesdays 7PM until all are heard
Wednesdays 12:30PM until all are heard
Saturdays 9AM – 10AM | 1:30PM – 2:30PM
First Friday of the month 8:30AM
During MAGNIFY (the last Weds of the month) 7:30PM – 8:30PM
Or please do make an appointment by calling 630.851.6444 or fill out the Appointment Request form below and someone will confirm the time with you.
Don’t forget the myParish App ‘CONFESSION’ button which has a “How To Guide”, Examination of Conscience, and Act of Contrition. View it while waiting in line for your turn.
AN INTERACTIVE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE ON THE MYPARISH APP
On our myParish App, there is a “Confession” button that can assist you. It has a “How-To Guide”, an interactive “Examination of Conscience” and the “Act of Contrition.”
The interactive “Examination of Conscience” summarizes what you’ve discerned when you answer the questions. See the snapshots below to get a glimpse of the feature. Text APP to 88202 to download.
HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION
Prepare first. Examine your conscience; use the ones posted here or the myParish App; look for the “Confession” button. The myParish App “Confession” button has a list that you can place a checkmark which will isolate the sins that you need to confess to the priest
Number and kind. Be specific about your transgression so as to completely surrender it to the Lord with a contrite heart so that He can wipe away the0 1sin.
Don’t confess the sin of others, just yours. The priest only needs to know your sins because the Lord can only forgive the sins you confess.
Confession is not a place of petition; for example, “Bless me Father, I need to be more charitable with my co-worker.” Instead it should be, “Bless me Father, I have sinned, I committed the sin of not being charitable to my co-worker.”
Confession is not a spiritual direction session or a counseling session especially when there are long lines.
Know an Act of Contrition. It can be as simple as, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.”
Don’t fear confessing repeated sins. God’s mercy is abounding; ask Him for the grace to free you from the repeated sin.
Feel the freedom of finding another priest if you feel you are being scolded by the priest after contritely confessing your sins rather than encountering Jesus’ mercy. You can let the priest know that you came to Confession with a contrite heart, to encounter God’s mercy.
HOW TO MAKE AN ACT OF PERFECT CONTRITION
How to make an act of perfect contrition (which should be done before each sacrament of reconciliation).
Ask the Holy Spirit for grace to see your sins with your enlightened mind (agreeing with God’s justice) and to feel sorrow for your sins in your heart (surrendering to the Father’s Love) and to have will to intensely detest your sins that separate you from the Trinitarian Life. Meditate on the passion (suffering and death of Jesus) to stir your heart into submission to the supernatural sorrow.
Confess your sins to God and ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus.
Make a definite resolution of turning away from sin.
Make a resolution of repairing the damage (amendment) that was made by committing your sin.
Thank God the Father immediately for forgiveness and start living believing that the Blood of Jesus has accomplished the work of salvation and redemption.
Avoid occasion to sin. Make conscious decisions and stick to them.
OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF GOING TO CONFESSION
WHY DO CATHOLICS CONFESS THEIR SINS TO A PRIEST?
FURTHER THOUGHTS ON CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE
One important aspect of repentance is confession. We can be assured that as we sincerely and humbly confess our sins to God, He forgives us and restores us. The Scriptures tell us, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)
Honesty in naming and confessing our sins opens a door for God’s grace to enter an area of our lives that we had previously closed. His grace is vital to the complete change of direction that repentance calls for. Honest confession breaks any patterns of blindness and dispels the darkness in which evil spirits dwell.
There is power in naming our sins out loud.
FIVE BENEFITS OF FREQUENT CONFESSION
Confession helps us to better “know Thyself”
St. Augustine and countless other saints and doctors of the Church talk about the importance of knowing ourselves well. Through coming to know ourselves better, we realized how fallen we are, and how badly we need God’s help and grace to get through life. Frequent Confession helps remind us to rely on God to help rid us of our sins.
Confession helps us to overcome vice
The grace we receive from the Sacrament of Confession helps us combat our faults and failings and break our habits of vice much more easily and expediently than we could otherwise do without the sacramental grace.
Confession brings us peace
Guilt from the sins we commit can make us feel all mixed up inside and cause us to lose our peace and joy. When we hear God’s forgiving words to us from the lips of the priest in Confession, a burden is lifted off our shoulders. Sins weigh us down and enslave us, often giving our passions power over us, instead of us having control over our passions. With the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can again feel the peace of heart and soul that comes from being in a good relationship with God.
Confession helps us become more Saintly, more like Jesus
Jesus was perfectly humble, perfectly generous, perfectly patient, perfectly loving—perfectly everything! Don’t you wish you could be as humble, generous, patient, and loving as Jesus? Saints throughout history have felt that way too, and they have frequented the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help transform them into people who are more like Christ. Little images of Christ—that’s what saints are!
Confession makes our will stronger
Every time we experience the Sacrament of Confession, God strengthens our will and our self-control to be able to resist the temptations that confront us in our lives. We become more resolute to follow God’s will and not our own whims.
Of course, the list of benefits of Confession goes on and on! But you have to go to reap the benefits! Going to Confession regularly will truly change your life. What’s keeping you from Reconciliation?
CONFESSION & THE EUCHARIST – FATHER MARK BERNHARD
Father Mark reflects on why it is so many Catholics don’t go to the sacrament of reconciliation. He shows the relationship between confession and the Eucharist. To help alleviate fear around going to confession he offers tips on how to make a good confession.
