Sacraments of Healing

For information about First Reconciliation as a part of First Sacraments, click here.

CCC 1440: Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

For all baptized Catholics who have already received First Reconciliation, you are encouraged to partake of this Sacrament regularly. Holy Spirit Parish offers the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation every Wednesday after the noon Mass from 12:30pm -1:30 pm and every Saturday from 2:00 pm - 3:50 pm, as well as by appointment. Communal Reconciliation services are celebrated during Advent and Lent.

The Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation
CCC 1422 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.
 
I. What is this Sacrament Called?
 
CCC 1423 It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father 5 from whom one has strayed by sin.
 
It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.
 
CCC 1424 It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
 
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace." 6
 
It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." 7 He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother." 8
 
II. Why a Sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism?
 
CCC 1425 "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 9 One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to grasp the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on Christ." 10 But the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 11 And the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," 12 linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us.
 
CCC 1426 Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without blemish." 13 Nevertheless the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence , which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life. 14 This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us. 15

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First Reconciliation Preparation at Holy Spirit

First Reconciliation is celebrated with 2^nd Graders in November. Candidates are to be registered in the Parish, registered for the program, and enrolled in St Joseph School or Faith Formation Stations. A copy of their Baptismal Certificate is required. Preparation includes 7 sessions done as a group, and a parent/child meeting. We are using the Blessed curriculum, by Dynamic Catholic, and begin preparation in September.

First Sacraments Registration Form– Parents of children preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist should contact Allison Steen-Baker. For questions, please email [email protected] or call 270-842-7777, x106.

 

The Sacrament of Anointing is available to those who are physically or emotionally ill or infirm, or prior to surgery. Contact Fr. Randy Howard at ext. 110 or Fr. Martin Ling at ext. 118 in the parish office at 270-842-7777 to schedule.

CCC 1499 “By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.”

CCC 1534 Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God.