Schedule
| Monday – Friday | After 12:10pm Mass |
| Wednesday | 7:30 – 8:30pm
6:30 – 8:00pm (only during Lent) |
| Saturday | 9:00 – 10:00am 4:00 – 5:00pm |
If you would like to make an appointment with a priest, please contact the parish office.
The Four Steps of Confession
Contrition: A sincere sorrow for having offended God, and the most important act of the penitent. There can be no forgiveness of sin if we do not have sorrow and a firm resolve not to repeat our sin.
Confession: Confronting our sins in a profound way to God by speaking about them —aloud— to the priest. If one has committed a mortal sin, three conditions must be met: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent.
Penance: An important part of our healing is the “penance” the priest imposes in reparation for our sins.
Absolution: The priest speaks the words by which “God, the Father of Mercies” reconciles a sinner to Himself through the merits of the Cross.
For the complete guide to confession, click the button below.
Download the guideThe Light is On For You!
The Light is On is an initiative of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Arlington where all Catholic churches across the DC metro area are open for quiet prayer and Confession. Visit their website below to locate confession times and locations near you!
The Rite of Confession
- The priest says a greeting.
- The penitent makes the sign of the cross and then says, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been __days/months/years since my last confession.”
- The penitent then says, “My sins are…” and tells the priest his/her sins. All mortal sins must be confessed in kind and number of times the sin was committed. If unsure or uneasy, the penitent can let the priest know and ask for his help.
- When all remembered sins have been confessed, the penitent says, “For these and all my sins I am sorry.”
- The priest will offer some advice and then assign a penance.
- The priest will then ask the penitent to say an Act of Contrition. There are many different versions of the Act of Contrition. The simplest is: “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
- After the penitent completes the Act of Contrition, the priest gives the penitent absolution. He says a prayer that ends, “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” As the priest says these words, the penitent makes the sign of the cross.
- The priest will then say a dismissal, such as: “The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace.”
- The penitent responds, “Thanks be to God.” The penitent then leaves the confessional and does his/her assigned penance as soon as possible.
“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:22-23)