About Confession

Learning about and growing in your Catholic Faith shouldn’t stop when you finish school. As Catholics we must be able to understand our great faith and be equipped to spread and defend it. Below is some Catholic Theology regarding sin and forgiveness from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1. Sin is an offense against God and the community. It wounds our relationship with God, other persons and our human dignity. (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1849, 1850)
2. There are two types of personal sin: mortal and venial. For a sin to be mortal, it must be a grave offense that one freely chooses, with full knowledge of its gravity or seriousness. A venial sin is any offense that is not a mortal sin.
3. Mortal sin removes us from a state of grace.
4. Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation in His actions of constantly forgiving others and calling all His followers to the same willingness to forgive and accept those who may fail in their efforts to love.
5. (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1446)
6. Sins committed after Baptism are forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also called the Sacrament of Forgiveness, Confession and Conversion.
7. Catholics who have reached the age of reason have an obligation to confess their sins with the Easter duty obligation.
8. God can forgive all sins.
9. The path back to God after sin is a process of conversion initiated by His grace. This return to God includes sorrow for sin and the resolve to sin no more. The grace we receive from this Sacrament helps us in reforming our lives in preventing us from turning away from God.
10. There are two ordinary forms for the Rite of Penance: individual celebration of the sacrament and the communal rite with individual confession and absolution.
11. Frequent Confession is recommended.