Christian Pure
Catholicism Demystified45 articles

How to Go to Confession: What to Say and the Act of Contrition

Christian Pure Team

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Summary

  • Confession follows a simple order in the U.S. bishops’ guide: a greeting, the Sign of the Cross, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” the confession of sins, a penance, the Act of Contrition, absolution and the dismissal.
  • A traditional Act of Contrition, “O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,” is given in full as the 1888 Manual of Prayers of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore prints it. The newer form, “My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart,” comes from the Rite of Penance (English translation 1974).
  • You must confess every mortal sin you are aware of, by kind and number (canon 988). Confessing venial sins is recommended, and sins forgotten in good faith are placed “before the divine mercy for pardon” (Catechism 1456).
  • A sin is mortal only when grave matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent are all present (Catechism 1857).
  • Catholics must confess grave sins at least once a year (canon 989), and anyone aware of a mortal sin must confess before receiving Communion, except in the rare case canon 916 allows.
  • The seal of confession is inviolable (canon 983); a priest who directly breaks it incurs an automatic excommunication reserved to the Holy See (canon 1386).
  • Orthodox Christians may receive absolution from a Catholic priest if they ask (canon 844). Lutherans keep private absolution (Augsburg Confession XI), and the Westminster Confession teaches private confession to God and confession to those one has offended.

To go to confession, you examine your conscience beforehand, tell a priest your sins, accept the penance he gives, pray an act of contrition and receive absolution. In the confessional you begin with the Sign of the Cross and the words “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” then say how long it has been since your last confession. You do not have to get it all right. The priest leads the rest of the rite and will help if…

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Bibliography (Click to show)
  • King James Version: John 20:21–23; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9, BibleGateway.
  • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, God’s Gift of Forgiveness: A Pastoral Exhortation on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, with “How to Go to Confession” (2013), usccb.org.
  • National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Complementary Norm on canon 964 §2, the confessional (2000), usccb.org.
  • A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, prepared and published by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1888), Morning Prayers, “An Act of Contrition,” p. 54, Internet Archive.
  • A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (the Baltimore Catechism), No. 1, approved 1885: the Act of Contrition, Project Gutenberg.
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1427–1429, 1440–1470 and 1480–1498 (the sacrament of Penance), vatican.va.
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1854–1864 (mortal and venial sin), vatican.va.
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2041–2043 (the precepts of the Church), vatican.va.
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2157 (the Sign of the Cross), vatican.va; 2667 (the invocation of the name of Jesus), vatican.va.
  • Code of Canon Law, canons 959–991 (the sacrament of Penance), vatican.va.
  • Code of Canon Law, canons 914, 916 and 920 (Communion), vatican.va; canon 844 (sacraments and other Christians), vatican.va; canon 97 (the use of reason), vatican.va.
  • Code of Canon Law, canons 1314 and 1386 (automatic penalties; violating the seal), vatican.va (1311–1363) and vatican.va (1364–1399).
  • Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963), 72, vatican.va.
  • Archdiocese of Baltimore, Policy 308, The Sacrament of Penance and Christian Initiation, policy.archbalt.org.
  • St. Mary’s Catholic Center, College Station, Texas, Aggie Catholic Guide to Confession (the prayer before confession), aggiecatholic.org.
  • Orthodox Church in America, “Penance,” The Orthodox Faith, vol. 2, Worship, oca.org.
  • Orthodox Church in America, “Communion in Roman Catholic Church,” Questions and Answers, oca.org.
  • The Augsburg Confession, Article XI, Of Confession, BookOfConcord.org.
  • The Episcopal Church, “Reconciliation of a Penitent,” glossary, episcopalchurch.org.
  • The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 15, Of Repentance unto Life, section 6, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, opc.org.

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