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"Jesus came and stood in the midst" of His apostles. "He breathed on them, and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. W hose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." —John 20:19, 22-23
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." —from the Lord's Prayer
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we are called to forgive others.
The Sacrament of Penance is offered at St. Vincent each Saturday at 3:30pm or by appointment.
"Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against Him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion." —Catechism of the Catholic Church #1422
"The forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism is conferred by a particular sacrament... a process born of the grace of God who is rich in mercy and solicitous for the salvation of men. One must ask for this precious gift... The penitent's acts are repentance, confession or disclosure of sins to the priest, and the intention to make reparation." —Catechism of the Catholic Church #1486, 1489, 1491
"Individual and integral confession of grave sins followed by absolution remains the only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the Church." —Catechism of the Catholic Church #1497
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