A major event in our early Church’s experience contributed to a number of changes and developments that would forever shape Church history in the West. Up until the 4th century, the practice of the Christian faith was outlawed by the Roman Empire. While many emperors were somewhat indifferent to Christianity, several would initiate fierce persecutions of Christians including men like Nero and Diocletian. With Constantine becoming Emperor around the beginning of the 4th Century, things change radically. In 313, following a vision Constantine experienced prior to a major military battle encouraging him to conquer under the signs of the cross and Christ, leading to a subsequent victory, Constantine issued his famous Edict of Milan declaring that Christianity would be accepted in the Roman Empire. Constantine himself would eventually become Christian and be baptized in Rome in the baptistry located behind the Lateran palace (now the Basilica of St. John in Lateran). Without the threat of persecution and with the Emperor now Christian, people began seeking to become Christian in great numbers, with whole families being baptized. With this growth also came challenges, as many of the new Christians were not as devout in their faith as their persecuted predecessors were. Many slipped into sin more readily, and the Church had to deal with how to reconcile these lapsed Christians. In last week’s column, I spoke of the initial establishment of the Order of Penitents performing public penances. This became impractical to maintain. As Christianity continued to be spread by various missionaries, it reached the Celts through the efforts of St. Patrick. It was there on the Emerald Isle, sometime during the 6th – 7th Centuries, that the Celtic monks would first introduce the practice of private confession and private penance. People could approach the priest, confess their sins privately with the assurance that their sins would not be disclosed, and receive a penance which could be performed without the knowledge of the public. Thus, the foundation for the current form of the Sacrament of Reconciliation was laid.