This document outlines the rite of reconciliation during Advent in the Catholic Church. It includes opening prayers and songs, an examination of conscience, a general confession of sins, litany of repentance, proclamation of God's mercy, and concluding prayer of thanksgiving. The rite is meant to prepare participants for Christmas by making them ready through forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God and community.

1. COMMUNAL RITE OF
RECONCILIATION DURING ADVENT

2. 1
INTRODUCTORY RITES
When the faithful has assembled, they may sing a Psalm or other appropriate song while
the priest is entering the church.
Opening Song
After the song, the priest makes the sign of the cross, then the greeting in the following
words:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
R.Amen
Grace, mercy and peace
from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Savior be with you all.
R: And with your spirit.
After the greeting, the lector explains the meaning of the celebration in the following
words:
Lector: My brothers and sisters, Advent is a time of preparation,
when we make ready to celebrate the mystery of our Lord’s coming
as man, the beginning of our redemption. Advent also moves us to
look forward with renewed hope to the second coming if Christ,
when God’s plan of salvation will be brought to fulfillment. We
are reminded too of our Lord’s coming to each one of us at the hour
of our death. We must make sure that He will find us prepared for
his coming, as the gospel tells us: “Blessed are those servants who
are found awake when the Lord’s comes” (Lk 12;37). This service of
penance is meant to make us ready in mind and heart for the
coming of Christ, which we are soon to celebrate in the mass of
Christmas.

3. 2
The priest invites all to pray, using these words:
My brothers and sisters,
we look forward to celebrating
the mystery of Christ’s coming
on the feast of Christmas.
Let us pray that when he comes
he may find us awake and ready to receive him.
All pray in silence for a brief period
Lord our God, maker of heavens,
As we look forward for the coming
of our redeemer grant us the forgiveness of our sins.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen

4. 3
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD
JER 31:31-34
Ps 130:1-2, 3-4,5-6ab, 6c-8
I am coming quickly, says the Lord, and I will repay each
man. Come, Lord Jesus.
Gospel
Mathew 3:1-12

5. 4
EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
The assembly is now invited to make an examination of conscience. This may be done in silence
or by using the examination of conscience below. One reader may read it alone, or two readers
might alternate sections. If read aloud, allow a brief period of silence between each section.
For failings in our private life:
-Abusing or neglecting the gift of our body, a temple of the Holy Spirit
-Overindulging in food or alcohol
-Engaging in sinful sexual practices
-Becoming complacent or self-satisfied
For failings in our families:
-Hurting or neglecting our families
-Withholding our love from those closest to us
-Withdrawing into our own pursuits
-Arguing too easily
-Failing to say we were sorry
-Failing to say we were wrong
For failures in our communities:
-Being a disruptive force because of our own ego
-Failing to be a peacemaker
-Intentionally excluding others
-Being greedy in the face of poverty
For failing to respond in the demands of seminary formation:
-Disobeying the formators
-breaking the rules and regulation
-always late in the seminary activities
-neglecting prayers
For our failures with our God:
-Failing to put our relationship with God first
-Failing to make time for regular private prayer and for worship with others
-Making important choices in our life without listening for God’s voice
-Holding back when God was calling us to be an instrument of grace
-Failing to offer back to God the gifts he has given us
If read aloud, this Examination of Conscience should conclude with a period of silence
so that each person may personally examine his or her conscience.

6. 5
RITE OF RECONCILIATION
GENERAL CONFESSION OF SINS
Directing the assembly.
Please kneel.
Brothers and sisters,
let us call to mind the goodness of God our Father,
and acknowledge our sins,
so that we may receive his merciful forgiveness.
A brief pause for silence follows. Then all recite together the formula of general
confession:
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
And, striking their breast, they say:
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
Then they continue:
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

7. 6
LITANY OF REPENTANCE
By human weakness we have disfigured the holiness of the Church:
pardon all our sins and restore us to full communion with our brothers
and sisters.
In your goodness, forgive our sins against the unity of your family,
R.--make us one in heart, one in spirit.
Touch our hearts and change our lives,
R.--make us grow always in your friendship.
Receive us as we come before you with humble and contrite hearts,
R.--with your pardon give us also your peace.
Restore us, Lord, to your favor, and give us joy in your presence,
R.--may our glory be to serve you with all our hearts

8. 7
Pater Noster:
Let us ask the Father
to forgive us our sins
in the very words Jesus himself taught us. . .
The assembly sings the Lord’s Prayer
After the Lord’s Prayer is sung, it is concluded by the presider in the following words:
Lord Jesus Christ,
gentle and humble of heart,
full of compassion and maker of peace,
you lived in poverty and were persecuted in the cause of justice. You
chose the cross as the path to glory
to show us the way to salvation.
May we receive with joyful hearts
the word of your Gospel
and live by your example
as heirs and citizens of your kingdom
where you live and reign forever and ever.
R. Amen
(Individual Confession and Individual Vespers)

9. 8
PROCLAMATION OF PRAISE FOR GOD’S MERCY
When the individual confessions have been completed, the other priests stand near the
one who is presiding over the celebration. The latter invites all present to offer thanks and
encourages them to do good works which will proclaim the grace of repentance in the life
of the entire community and each of its members.
In praise of God’s mercy, let us all together sing the Canticle of
Mary.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly .
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

10. 9
CONCLUDING PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
After the song of praise the priest concludes the common prayer:
Almighty and merciful God,
in a wonderful way you created humanity
and even more wonderfully
you redeemed us,
you do not abandon the sinner,
but search for him with a Father’s love.
In the passion of your Son
you conquered sin and death
and in his resurrection you gave us life and joy once again.
You have filled our hearts with the Holy Spirit
Making us children and heirs;
you continually renew us with the sacraments of salvation,
so that, freed from the slavery of sin,
we will be transformed day by day
into the image of your beloved Son.
We praise you and we bless you Lord,
in communion with the whole Church,
for the wonder of your mercy.
And with word, heart and action
we raise to you a new song.
To you be the glory O Father, through Christ
in the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
R. Amen

11. 10
CONCLUDING RITE
BLESSING
The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
May the God of love and mercy make you united in love and give
you peace.
R. Amen
May the Lord guide your hearts in the way of his love
and fill you with Christ-like patience.
R. Amen
May he give you strength to walk in newness of life
And to please him in all things.
R. Amen
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy
Spirit.
R. Amen
DISMISSAL
The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace.
R. Thanks be to God.
An appropriate hymn is sung as the priest with the ministers processes towards the
sacristy.