Our Lady of Walsingham Church in Corby

Catholic Parishes Our Lady of Walsingham & St John Ogilvie, Corby

What is Reconciliation?

Reconciliation, also know as confession, is the sacrament of forgiveness for our sins offered to us through God's grace and mercy.

Confession is a great gift of healing that brings about closer union with the Lord. Confession reconciles the sinner with God and the Church.

(Taken from the YouCat)

Like the Sacrament of Holy Communion, this is a sacrament we can receive again and again in our lives and in a similar way is one that we need regularly. In baptism we are freed from original sin but in our human weakness we often find that we get things wrong in our lives that turn us away from the great love of God. It's not a new thing, as we see throughout the Bible, and Jesus even said:

'Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous but sinners' Mark 2:17

There are many instances in the Gospels of Jesus forgiving sins and the lives of those people being transformed. That transformation still happens for people today in this Sacrament as their sins are forgiven 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit'. Are you in need of healing and transformation?

Who is it for?

Any baptised Catholic who wants the forgiveness of God and can come with a sincere and contrite heart. Simply put, you need to be able to confess your sins honestly, with a true sorrow for what you have done and a desire to recieve God's forgiveness, with a resolution not to sin again, and ready to receive penance (an act to try and make peace and resolve any harm done).

What happens during Reconciliation?

This actually starts before you even see the priest. We are called to an 'examination of conscience' where we think about our daily thoughts, words and actions and where we may have strayed away from God through sin. These are the things we will confess to the priest who is there 'in persona Christi' - Latin for 'in the person of Christ' - ie. you are confessing not to the priest themselves, but to Christ who is working through the priest.

Once we have examined our conscience we will go before the priest and often start with 'Forgive me Father for I have sinned, it has been...eg. 10 days/5 weeks/10 years...since my last confession' you will be invited to confess your sins and the priest will often try and offer some words of support or encouragement in how to combat those sins and challenges in future. You will then be asked to make an 'Act of Contrition' - a statement of true repentance and an intent to not sin again (the priest will be able to help if you don't know one).

The priest will then give us our penance - this may come in the form of prayers or acts of charity towards others - not to earn our forgiveness but to remind us of God's love and the call to us to share that love in all we do. Finally, the priest will offer forgiveness through a prayer that calls on God to give you absolution and peace. Then we can leave behind the suffering and burdens on our hearts, accepted in love and renewed in strength to live the life God called us to.

Priests always find it a joy to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, being able to help bring people back to the love of God. Confessions are available at Our Lady's at a regular time each week on Saturdays between 5:30pm - 6:15pm. Simply come to the confessional rooms on the right hand side of the church and wait in the pews until your turn. There are red and green lights above the door that the priest will use to show if they are available. You are always welcome to ask either of our priests at other times during the week and if they have the time available then they will always do their best to help.

Confession Times in Corby

Our Lady of Walsingham - Saturday (after 9:30am Mass)

St Brendan's - Saturday 5pm-5:30pm

St John Ogilvie - Friday (after 9:30am Mass)