The Sacrament of Confession
Confession Times
Confession is available at St. Joseph's at the following times:
Sunday: 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. | 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. | 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Monday-Friday: 11:30 a.m. - 12 noon
Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - 12 noon | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.
Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
He will not always accuse,
and nurses no lasting anger;
He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,
nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.
For as the heavens tower over the earth,
so his mercy towers over those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
- Psalm 103:8-12
A GUIDE FOR CONFESSION
Before Confession
Before going to Confession you should make an examination of conscience, reviewing any mortal and venial sins committed since your last confession.
A helpful pattern for examination of conscience is to review the commandments of God and the precepts of the Church:
The Ten Commandments
I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember to keep holy the LORD’S Day.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
The Precepts of the Church
On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass. Moreover, they are to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body.
After having reached the age of discretion [age 7], each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.
After being initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at another time during the year.
The faithful are to observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of charity, and for the decent support of ministers. They are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.
Questions to Help with an Examination of Conscience
Have God and the pursuit of sanctity in Christ been the goal of my life? Have I denied my faith? Have I placed my trust in false teachings or substitutes for God? Have I despaired of God's mercy?
Have I used God's name profanely? Have I broken a solemn vow or promise?
Have I honored every Sunday by attending Mass and avoiding unnecessary work? Have I intentionally missed Mass on a holy day of obligation? Was I inattentive at, or unnecessarily late for Mass, or did I leave early? Have I neglected prayer for a long time? Have I received communion while in the state of sin (i.e. having committed a mortal sin and not yet gone to confession)?
Have I shown respect to my parents, spouse, family members, and legitimate authorities? Have I been attentive to the religious education and formation of my children?
Have I cared for the bodily health and safety of myself and all others? Have I abused drugs or alcohol? Have I supported in any way abortion, euthanasia, or suicide?
Was I impatient, angry, envious, proud, jealous, revengeful, lazy? Have I refused to forgive anyone?
Have I been just in my responsibilities to my employer or employees? Have I discriminated against others?
Have I been chaste in thought and word? Have I used sex only within marriage and while open to procreating life? Have I given myself sexual gratification? Have I looked at pornography?
Have I stolen anything from another, from my employer or from the government? Have I fulfilled my contracts? Did I gamble excessively, depriving myself or my family of necessities?
Have I spoken ill of any other person? Have I always told the truth? Have I betrayed someone's trust?
Have I entertained sexual thoughts about someone to whom I am not married?
Have I desired what belongs to other people? Have I wished ill on another?
Have I contributed to the support of the Church?
Have I done penance by abstaining and fasting on obligatory days?
Have I been mindful of the poor?
During Confession
After examining your conscience and telling God of your sorrow, go into the confessional.
Begin your confession with the sign of the cross, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. My last confession was _________ weeks (months, years) ago."
Say the sins that you remember. In order to make a good confession the faithful must confess all mortal sins, according to kind and number. It is not necessary to confess every venial sin. After confessing all the sins you remember since your last good confession, you may conclude by saying, "I am sorry for these and all the sins of my past life."
Listen to the words of the priest. He will assign you some penance. Doing the penance will diminish the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. When invited, express some prayer of sorrow or Act of Contrition such as:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all of my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Amen.
After Confession
Do the penance assigned to you by the priest. Give thanks to God for forgiving you again. If you recall some serious sin you forgot to tell, rest assured that it has been forgiven with the others, but be sure to confess it in your next confession.