Confession

[ArdellWood]

I basically want to know the process of confession, I am new to Catholicism and am curious to what one does when you walk in and what the priest says etc.

Also I am curious about if the priest has any preparations he does before and after he confesses people. And whether or not it is hard for a person to listen to all the sins people have committed, is it hard to cope with this?

 

[grasscutter]

Welcome to the forums! You might get a better and more timely reply if you post in “Ask an Apologist”. Only because your question requires a very comprehensive answer.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

I basically want to know the process of confession, I am new to Catholicism and am curious to what one does when you walk in and what the priest says etc.

I posted this in another thread. It may not be as comprehensive as you’d like, but it’s a start:

*First you need to do a thorough examination of your conscience. There are multiple websites that can give you a good guide to this, but basically you reflect on the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins and try to determine which mortal sins you’ve committed and how many times you’ve committed them. I’ll occasionally write down my sins, sort of a Reconciliation cheat sheet, although I generally leave this in the car and don’t bring it in with me.

Next, you actually go to Confession. You should decide in advance if you’re going to do private or face-to-face. I was mortified with the idea of face-to-face Confession until I started doing it. Now I couldn’t imaging doing it anonymously, but to each his own.

Once you enter the confessional, you’ll both make the sign of the cross and then you can start by saying something along the lines of, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. My last Confession was ___ days/weeks/months/years ago.” You can expand on this if you feel it’s appropriate.

The priest may then say a prayer or read a passage from scripture. Then again, he may not. The last time I went was very informal and actually skipped a lot of the above.

He may then ask you to go on with your Confession, or he may just stare at you expecting you to know what to do next. Either way, this is where you start confessing your sins. You’re obligated to confess your mortal sins, although you can also bring up venial sins, especially if it’s something you really struggle with. You’re supposed to be able to give the number of times you committed each sin, but that may be difficult especially since you haven’t been in a while. The times I’ve gone after having not been in a very long time, the priest was okay with a ballpark figure. Again, though, you’re mileage may vary.

Following this, the priest may offer some advice/encouragement or ask some questions, and then he’ll give you your penance. In my experience, penances now aren’t what they were when I was a kid, and it’s usually nothing earth-shattering. Yet again, your mileage may vary. Then he’ll likely ask you to say an Act of Contrition. I never can remember the Act of Contrition, so I bring a little prayer book with me. If I forget it in the car, I pray they have a copy on hand. Other times, though, I’ve had the priest do it with me, question and answer style, which is always a relief due to my mental block on this prayer.

The priest will then absolve you (followed by the sign of the cross), possibly read again from scripture, say a prayer and tell you to go in peace. You’ll then walk out, do your penance and hop in the car, remarking about how much easier that was than you thought it would be, and wondering why you put it off for so long. *

 

[A_G]

You must first examine your conscience honestly and “prepare” yourself by thinking about everything you want to confess to the priest. It is important that you examine your actions since the last confession.Try to remember as much as you can, and also you must be repentant. Don’t hold anything back. Remember that confessions are 100% confidential. The priest will never share your sins with anyone else (he would be excommunicated if he were to break this seal). You must confess all mortal sins (and how many times they were committed). Venial sins do not have to be confessed, but I would confess them anyway.

The priest will begin the Confession with the prayer of the Sign of the Cross. Make the sign of the cross and say, “Forgive me Father for I have sinned it has been … (days/months/years) since my last confession. And here are my sins.” When you are done confessing, the priest talk to you briefly about your sins, offer advice, and so on. He will give you a penance to perform (usually a prayer or good deed) and may ask you to say the Act of Contrition (see below). He will absolve you of your sins through a prayer. The priest will then say something like “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” When he does this, make the sign of the cross. He will dismiss you by saying something like “go in peace,” and you shold say “Thanks be to God.”

When you leave the confessional, make sure you complete the penance assigned to you, the sooner the better.

Act of Contrition:
O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.
Amen.

 

[ArdellWood]

Thanks everyone! this was a great help, and sorry if these questions have been posted up already

 

[grasscutter]

Thanks everyone! this was a great help, and sorry if these questions have been posted up already

No need for an apology, I was new here once too. And again, welcome.

 

[Marie5890]

I basically want to know the process of confession, I am new to Catholicism and am curious to what one does when you walk in and what the priest says etc.

Also I am curious about if the priest has any preparations he does before and after he confesses people. And whether or not it is hard for a person to listen to all the sins people have committed, is it hard to cope with this?

I have a question. When you say you are new to Catholicism, are you saying that you have recently become Catholic?

Or are you saying that you are new to Catholicism in general but are not Catholic.

If you arent Catholic, going to Confession at this point would not be advised.

What I would suggest, if you are not Catholic is make an appointment to talk with a priest and talk to him about your feeling drawn to the Catholic faith.

 

[Balian]

Thanks so much to those who provided the very helpful summaries on confession. I will be doing my first confession before Easter Vigil and you answered many of my questions.

 

[exjwmjd]

So question to add to this:

a) What is the difference between a mortal and venial sin?
b) Annnd so how much detail are people supposed to go into?

 

[A_G]

So question to add to this:

a) What is the difference between a mortal and venial sin?
b) Annnd so how much detail are people supposed to go into?

A

In order for a sin to be mortal, it must meet three conditions:
Mortal sin is a sin of grave matter
Mortal sin is committed with full knowledge of the sinner
Mortal sin is committed with deliberate consent of the sinner

Venial sin is a sin of lesser matter than grave sin. Venial sins will not destroy grace in the soul, and will not directly cause a person who dies in the state of venial sin to lose the promise of heaven. Yet, venial sin weakens a person’s will to avoid evil and thus may indirectly lead to mortal sin. Regardless, all sin is an offense against God and should be avoided.

B

You must confess the mortal sins you have committed since your last confession. You do not have to go into any explicit detail of your sins unless the priest feels it is necessary. Simply tell him the sin and the number of times you did it. If you feel it is necessary you can tell him the circumstances.