Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. the Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace." (CCC, 1446)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has received approval for a revised Order of Penance. The First use date of the new Ritual text is Ash Wednesday and it will be required for use on Divine Mercy Sunday, 2023. Stay tuned for more information about the changes to the text.
Resources for the revised Ritual Text