sacrament of reconciliationEnglishOxford New American Dictionarysacrament of reconciliation /ˈsakrəmənt əv, , ˈsækrəmənt əv, ə ˌrekənˌsilēˈāSHən, ə ˌrɛkənˌsɪliˈeɪʃən/ (also sacrament of penance) ▸ noun (chiefly in the Roman Catholic Church) the practice of private confession of sins to a priest and the receiving of absolution.