Reconciliation
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
John 20: 21-23
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at St. Patrick Church of Merna on Fridays from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. At this time, it is only offered in a drive-up format. Please enter the church parking lot from Towanda Barnes Road and follow the signs. If you have any questions, please call the parish office at (309) 662-7361.
Confessions are offered at St. Mary Church in Downs 30 minutes prior to the beginning of each weekend Mass.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a conversion of heart away from sin and toward God. It begins with remorse for having offended God and entails both a change in one’s life and a determination to avoid the further occasion of sin (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1427-33).
The parts of the Sacrament
The sacrament consists of four parts or acts of the penitent