penitence / penitents [ˈpɛnətənts]
penitence – n. – 1. performing an act as an expression of repentance or contrition, may be voluntary or involuntary; 2. sorrow for an offense committed with the intention of making restitution
penitents – n. pl. of penitent – 1. people who turn from some form of wrong-doing to a better way; 2. people seeking forgiveness and reconciliation; 3. a rhetorical figure by which a person retracts something expressed earlier; 4. Geography – pinnacles of compact snow left after the sun has melted the surrounding snow