being Catholic
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WOODEN
confessionals
set up at El
Retiro Park
in Madrid for
World Youth
Day, 2011.
IHERVAS/123RF STOCK PHOTO
Accept the
gift of forgiveness
The path to peace and serenity all begins with the humble admission:
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned . . .
ATHER BRITTO Berchmans, a
former Salesian of Don Bosco and
now a diocesan priest serving a
vibrant parish in the Chicago suburb of
Park Ridge, envisions the ideal Catholic
parish to be a community of disciples
who seek to live the example of Jesus.
Contrition, confession, forgiveness, and
INTERVIEW
OF FATHER
BRITTO M.
BERCHMANS
BY
CAROLINE
HOPKINSON
F
Father Britto M. Berchmans is
pastor of St. Paul of the Cross
church in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Caroline Hopkinson is multi-
media editor for the VISION
Vocation Network.
reconciliation, all part of the sacrament
of Reconciliation, are key ingredients to
living the Christian life. He explains to
VISION why he hopes to see more Catholics embrace this life-giving encounter
with Christ.
Why is the sacrament
of Reconciliation important?
As saint Paul wrote in his Letter to the
Romans, “All have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23).
We all need reconciliation and God’s
forgiveness, but how do we obtain it?
Catholics have been given a special gift:
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VISION 2013
