Registration for 1st Penance end January 31, 2023 
First Penance Retreat is Saturday, Feb.11th, 9:30AM

    First Penance with Fr. Stan is
Feb 25th to March 18th
                                                   

Before his Ascension, Our Lord entrusted to the Church the power to forgive sins in his name: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”   (John. 20:21), and so from apostolic times the Church has always exercised this essential aspect of her Divine constitution as the instrument of salvation in the world.

The Sacrament of Penance (also known as Reconciliation or Confession) is the ordinary means by which the faithful are restored to sanctifying grace after having fallen into post-baptismal grave sin. (Cf. CIC, c. 960). It is also a channel of particular graces which assists the faithful in avoiding sin in the future, overcoming habits of sin, and growing in the life of supernatural grace and virtue.

“Those who approach the Sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from the mercy of God for the offence committed against him and are at the same time reconciled with the Church, which they have wounded by their sins…” (Cf. Lumen gentium no. 11).

God is always ready to forgive, no matter what the wrong!  What an extraordinary gift!  He already knows the secrets of our hearts, but sometimes we need to name these aloud in order to prepare our hearts to renew the experience of God's love and forgiveness. 

At Our Lady of the Valley Parish we do offer regular Confession Times or you can make an appointment for confession by calling the Parish Office.

For children who have never been to Confession - we offer a First Penance program - Preparing your children for First Penance allows them to see that God is love and mercy, and that God wants us to be reconciled with one another and with him. Our First Penance program is a parent-led, at-home preparation program done in late winter.  It is open to children who have been baptized and are 7 yrs old and older. The sacramant is administered during the Lenten timeframe. Once your child has received the Sacrament of Penance they are eligibe to begin preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Holy Communion is administered in the early spring.

Note: Children preparing for First Penance and First Holy Communion are expected to  participate, on a regular basis, in a Catholic faith formation program either through the Church or Catholic School at least one year preceding enrollment for First Penance and First Holy Communion.