General Confession awareness

[littlesoul88]

I’ve just learned of the term “general confession.” I’m wondering as to whether one can make a general confession without knowing they did?

I ask because it sounds like what I did without knowing it was called that. I went to confession after a long time of being away from this Sacrament. There were about three confessions I did that were lengthy (because the more one opens up to the Spirit, the more aware one becomes of past sins.) I spent a long time preparing before I had to courage to go to these. The confessions contained sins from as early as I could remember. I used a few regular examination of conscience guides (so not de Sales general confession examination) and my memory open to the Spirit in prayer. In my confessions I am quite detailed as to why I may have sinned, I feel extreme contrition and resolve not to sin again. On the three lengthy occasions, I thought I was just making a good confession, but did I actually make a general confession?

 

[1990Domer]

I’ve just learned of the term “general confession.” I’m wondering as to whether one can make a general confession without knowing they did?

I ask because it sounds like what I did without knowing it was called that. I went to confession after a long time of being away from this Sacrament. There were about three confessions I did that were lengthy (because the more one opens up to the Spirit, the more aware one becomes of past sins.) I spent a long time preparing before I had to courage to go to these. The confessions contained sins from as early as I could remember. I used a few regular examination of conscience guides (so not de Sales general confession examination) and my memory open to the Spirit in prayer. In my confessions I am quite detailed as to why I may have sinned, I feel extreme contrition and resolve not to sin again. On the three lengthy occasions, I thought I was just making a good confession, but did I actually make a general confession?

General confession usually refers to the priest giving general absolution at a penance service and skipping over the person revealing individual sins. I think you are fine.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

General confession usually refers to the priest giving general absolution at a penance service and skipping over the person revealing individual sins. I think you are fine.

This is not true. What you are talking about is “general absolution” and it is only to be used in very specific circumstances, when regular confession would not be possible. (Think a sinking ship, or other disaster)

A ‘general confession’ is similar to what the OP stated they did. No one is obligated to do a “general confession”, but it can be a good thing to do, under the advice of a regular confessor or spiritual director.

 

[exnihilo]

I’ve just learned of the term “general confession.” I’m wondering as to whether one can make a general confession without knowing they did?

I ask because it sounds like what I did without knowing it was called that. I went to confession after a long time of being away from this Sacrament. There were about three confessions I did that were lengthy (because the more one opens up to the Spirit, the more aware one becomes of past sins.) I spent a long time preparing before I had to courage to go to these. The confessions contained sins from as early as I could remember. I used a few regular examination of conscience guides (so not de Sales general confession examination) and my memory open to the Spirit in prayer. In my confessions I am quite detailed as to why I may have sinned, I feel extreme contrition and resolve not to sin again. On the three lengthy occasions, I thought I was just making a good confession, but did I actually make a general confession?

You might want to consult the Baltimore Catechism on the topic of confession. Here is part of a discussion about what is a general confession:

It is the confession of the sins of our whole life or of a portion—say one, two or five, etc., years—of our life. A general confession may be necessary, useful, or hurtful. It is necessary, as you know, when our past confessions were bad. It is useful, though not necessary, on special occasions in our lives; for example, in the time of a retreat or mission; in the time of preparation for First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, etc., or in preparing for death…”

I don’t think it is necessary to know the term ‘general confession’. It seems like you did make a general confession. A good confession would be recounting all of your mortal sins since your last confession. So long as you did not deliberately withhold a mortal sin during a confession you had a good confession. If you later remember a mortal sin after a good confession you should recount that sin in the next confession. But remembering a sin you forgot does not make the last confession a bad one.

To sum up you don’t have to know the term general confession to make one. To make a good confession you must recount in number (exact if possible but approximation if not) and kind all your mortal sins since your last confession that you recall. If you recount all the mortal sins you recall since your last confession then the confession is a good one whether a general confession or not.