After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his apostles, breathed on them, and said,  “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”
John 20:22-23

“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14

Sinful actions not only break God's laws, they wound us spiritually. The Sacrament of Penance, also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession, is for spiritual healing.
The forgiveness of sins involves four parts:

• Contrition: a sincere sorrow for having offended God is the most important act of the penitent. Forgiveness of sin is not possible if we are not sorrowful, and firmly resolve not to repeat our sin.

• Confession: we confront our sins by speaking about them to the priest. Remember, the priest can never tell anyone anything he hears during this Sacrament.

• Penance: an important part of healing is the penance the priest gives us to perform. It may be a set of prayers to say, or any of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy. We Catholics believe that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is what made atonement for our sins, so penance is a token act for our benefit, to remind us that God comes first.

• Absolution: the priest speaks the words by which your sins are absolved (forgiven).

The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be received on most Saturday afternoons at St. Faustina parish, or by making an appointment with Father Bogdan through the parish office.

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is for those in danger of death or in critical condition. The most important intention of this sacrament is to give strength to the soul of the sick person, to give them the grace and encouragement to bear their illness with dignity. It also absolves all sins the person is sorry for but did not previously confess in the Sacrament of Penance. In the past, this Sacrament was called Extreme Unction (last anointing) or Last Rites, because more people died from injury and disease than recovered.

Catholics are able to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick more than once.

Parishioners should call the parish office to set up an appointment for this Sacrament. The parish also keeps a list of sick parishioners in order to pray for them regularly. Requests for prayer for healing from illness or any other reason may also be placed in the bowl for Living Rosary group prayers, or the box for prayer requests for Divine Mercy Devotions (both of these are in the main entrance of the church).