Rehearsal and Walk-Through

of the Rite of Reconciliation

Gather everyone in the worship space. Be sure the reconciliation rooms are open and have the lights on. If no priests are available, have a volunteer seated in the place of the priest. He or she should be ready to explain to the family groups what all the features of a reconciliation room are.

For this walk-through, you may wish to set up a staged reconciliation room in the sanctuary and have volunteers play the roles of the priest and the penitent. In this way, your words will connect to real actions. It’s OK to make this fun and enjoyable. Everyone is always a little nervous about Confession, so this will make it feel less scary.

Get everyone’s attention and begin in these or similar words:

You have all just done a marvelous job of doing the final preparation for this sacrament. Thank you for all your hard work today. Now we want to take a few minutes to make sure everyone gets to see inside the reconciliation room. [Mention that someone will meet them there and answer their questions.] Remember that we are in church and want to have respect for the quiet and beauty of this place. But please take a few minutes now to walk through these spaces and become familiar with them.

Use an orderly way of doing this. When everyone is finished, get their attention again and use these notes for the final review.

PREPARATION OF PRIEST AND PENITENT

It’s very important that we prepare for this sacrament through prayer and a period of self-examination. So to you parents and children, I invite you between now and the [date of the sacramental celebration] to spend time each day saying prayers together, reviewing the examination of conscience, and preparing your heart for this important experience.

There are more resources for this on the website at GrowingUpCatholic.com. Simply follow the links to the parent pages.

WELCOMING THE PENITENT

When you go into the reconciliation room, the priest will welcome you with warmth and charity. You can speak to the priest as you would a friend. You make the Sign of the Cross. The priest may also make the Sign of the Cross with you. If you and the priest don’t know each other, tell him a little about yourself, and the time of your last confession (if you’ve made one before).

READING OF THE WORD OF GOD

What comes next? [Let someone answer: The reading from Scripture.]

Right. Next, under normal circumstances, the priestor you may read from Scripture. It’s OK for you to bring along a favorite passage, but it should be relatively short. You would not want to read the entire story of the Prodigal Son, for example.

There is a proclamation of the Word in every sacrament because through the word of God we Christians receive light and grace to recognize our sins and hear our call to conversion and to confidence in God's mercy.

PENITENT'S CONFESSION AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE PENANCE

Now we come to the heart of the matter. What comes next? [Let someone respond: We confess our sins.]Exactly. Next comes the time when you confess your sins. It’s good to begin with the words on your handout:

Bless me, Father,

I have tried hard to be good

But I have committed some sins.

Or if you learned it this way, use this:

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was # ago…

If necessary, the priest will assist you along the way. He will also encourage you to repent sincerely (be truly sorry). Finally, he may offer you practical advice for avoiding sin in the future andliving a more Christian life.

Next, the priest asks you to do an act of penance. Why does the priest do this? [Let someone answer: to serve not only as atonement for past sins but also as an aid to a new life and an antidote for weakness.] This act of penance may take the form of prayer, self-denial, and especially service to neighbor and works of mercy. These will underline the fact that sin and its forgiveness have a social aspect.

PENITENT'S PRAYER AND THE PRIEST'S ABSOLUTION

OK. So you’ve confessed your sins and been given a penance. What comes next? [Let someone respond: the Act of Contrition.]

That’s exactly right. You pray a prayer for God's pardon and when you do this, you express contrition and the firm intention to begin a new life. You can use the prayer in your handout, or you can also use any other similar prayer; there are some others on the website, again, in the parents’ section.[You may wish to have them read the Act of Contrition aloud here. They will have it on their handouts.]

Once you have expressed your sorrow for sins, the priest will extend his hands[Demonstrate this for them or have your actors do it.] over your head and pronounce the words of absolution. He will say:

I ABSOLVE YOU FROM YOUR SINS
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON
AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

As he says the final phrase the priest will make the sign of the cross over your head.

DISMISSAL OF THE PENITENT

Then the priest invites you to go in peace and you say Amen. You can also thank the priest for sharing this time with you and say goodbye. Then you return to your pew and spend a few minutes in prayer before going home. Be sure to do the penance asked of you.

Are there any questions? Are you all ready to go?