Act of contrition necessary for valid conf

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mazedog

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I went to confession today and the priest did not ask me to make an act of contrition before absolving me of my sins. Is this a valid confession? 🤷 This is the first time I have been to this church and will probably never go back, it seemed like it might be a little to liberal for me.
P.S. The priest was also in regular clothes he did not dress like a priest giving a sacrament.
 
Contrition (sorrow for your sins and the intention to amend your life) is necessary for a valid confession, but a formal Act of Contrition is not, although it is usually part of the celebration of the Sacrament. I would recommend that if you encounter this situation again, you simply make your Act of Contrition privately when you leave the confessional and do your penance.

As long as you were sorry for your sins and the priest used the correct words of absolution, you do not need to worry about validity.
 
PhilotheaZ said:
Contrition (sorrow for your sins and the intention to amend your life) is necessary for a valid confession, but a formal Act of Contrition is not, although it is usually part of the celebration of the Sacrament. I would recommend that if you encounter this situation again, you simply make your Act of Contrition privately when you leave the confessional and do your penance.

As long as you were sorry for your sins and the priest used the correct words of absolution, you do not need to worry about validity.
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At our Parish the priest at Confession always tell me to make my act of contrition after I leave the Confessional but before I leave the church.
 
thistle said:
At our Parish the priest at Confession always tell me to make my act of contrition after I leave the Confessional but before I leave the church.
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Yep, I’ve had priests do it both ways.
 
I have been to confession at the Old Cathedral downtown St. Louis. Both times you can see the priest reading the newspaper as people go into the confessional. Another odd twist to this is that he has a PHD and teaches political science at St. Louis U. Just doesnt seem like a good mix to be a priest and teacher of political science.
 
The Act of Contrition should be said in the confessional to assure the priest of that you are contrite. But that is his problem; not yours.
 
mazedog said:
I went to confession today and the priest did not ask me to make an act of contrition before absolving me of my sins. Is this a valid confession? 🤷 This is the first time I have been to this church and will probably never go back, it seemed like it might be a little to liberal for me.
P.S. The priest was also in regular clothes he did not dress like a priest giving a sacrament.
Click to expand...
Don’t go back there. Your senses are telling you something. Say an Act of Contrition now and mention what happened at your next Confession.
 
mazedog said:
I went to confession today and the priest did not ask me to make an act of contrition before absolving me of my sins. Is this a valid confession? 🤷 This is the first time I have been to this church and will probably never go back, it seemed like it might be a little to liberal for me.
P.S. The priest was also in regular clothes he did not dress like a priest giving a sacrament.
Click to expand...
Are you in the Chicagoland area b/c it seems as if you went to the same priest I went to today for confession? Times are limited and my normal parish had a line of about 10 people which means I wouldn’t have made it to confession in the time alloted so I went to another parish where there was no line but the priest was exactly as you described.
 
I’ve also had priests who won’t let me recite the Act of Contrition during the sacrament. I’ve even blurted out “Don’t you want me to pray the Act of Contrition?” and have received a curt “that’s not necessary.” I know this doesn’t stop me from praying it privately afterwards, but the priest is Persona Christi during the sacrament of Reconciliation – I don’t like being denied the opportunity to pray this during the sacrament.
 
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