Not only does it [the Sacrament of Penance] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We are liberated to be forgivers. We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."
"Penance is an experience of the gift of God's boundless mercy."
Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church. The Sacrament of Penance is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven. In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins. With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
The Archdiocese of Atlanta requires that a student must be enrolled in religious education classes the year prior to receiving the sacraments. (i.e. the child must attend first grade religious education classes to receive the sacraments during their second grade year). Therefore, if your child is in first grade for the current year, they must attend religious education classes this year (70% attendance rate) in order to be prepared to receive the sacraments when they are in second grade.