Since the start of the first lockdown the obligation to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation has been suspended. This remains the case. However, it is now possible to celebrate the sacrament, for those who wish, in a COVID-19 safe manner.

At Our Lady of Mercy we are going to celebrate three days of mercy. This means a priest will be available in the Mercy Chapel of St Mary’s every hour, on the hour, starting at 1pm and ending at 7pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 21, 22, and 23 December.

The priest will be behind a barrier and wearing a mask, and the penitent will also wear a mask. Confessions will be heard in the Mercy Chapel and the Church, not the confessional, so that we can ensure good ventilation. Offering so many opportunities to celebrate the sacrament through the afternoon and evening means that we will avoid large queues and people waiting.

A priest will be at the Chapel on the hour and will wait for about 10 minutes. If no one comes, he will come back at the next hour. If there are several penitents, he will stay hearing confessions until the last one and then come back for the next hour. You don’t need to book in advance. Please don’t come to the church for confession except at the start of the hour.

Again, it is worth mentioning that the obligation for confession remains suspended. It is enough for now to make a sincere act of contrition, for example at the start of Mass, for you to receive Holy Communion. However, with Christmas approaching we wanted to make it possible for you to celebrate this sacrament if you would like to and are able to.

We have some information about the sacrament of reconciliation on our website that you can access here.