How to Make A Good First Confession?

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Scott84

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Hello everyone! I was just received into the Church this Easter Vigil a few days ago! I was Baptized and Confirmed in Christ!

I just have one big question, when the time comes to make my first Confession. How do I make a good first Confession? At our RCIA class we really didn’t go over very in depth about this sacrament.

I know in the confessional you kneel down, make the Sign of the Cross, and say: “Bless me Father for I have sinned -” and say how long it’s been since my last Confession. In my case, I would state I was received into the Church this past Easter, and that this is my first Confession.

After confessing my sins, do I make an act of contrition in the confessional? I just want to make sure I do it right and well for when my first time comes.
 
You’ll go in, possibly being greeted by the priest. He may say a short prayer. You then confess as you stated. It’s smart to end in some way that lets them know you’re done. So like “for these and all my sins in truly sorry”. Or I just say “ok that’s it”. Then he’ll give you some advice if he wants and invite you to make an act of contrition. Then he’ll absolve you. Then you leave.

Don’t forget to do your penance, but you don’t have to do it right away.

Oh! And congratulations! Don’t forget that you’re not required (and indeed should not) confess anything prior to your baptism.
 
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I took a book in with me to my first confession, it had a what to say guide in it, and I let the priest know it was my first time.

I did also mention things that had happened prebaptism, even though these sins had been forgiven I felt better hearing the priest say that they were.
 
It seems like you already have the basic steps down:
  • Begin by making the sign of the cross and saying:
    “Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (X amount of time) since my last confession.”
  • Confess your serious sins, in kind and number, to the best of your ability. You may also confess your less serious (venial) sins.
  • Conclude by saying (in these or similar words): “For these and all my sins, I am sorry.”
  • The priest may give you some advice, tell you something to perform as penance, and then he will invite you to say an Act of Contrition
  • Say the Act of Contrition
  • The priest will give you absolution
If you feel uneasy or need help, just ask the priest! Most priests I know are very good at putting people at ease and helping them when they get stuck.

Incidentally, since you were just baptized (Congrats!), you only have to remember the sins committed since your Baptism. So that makes your 1st Confession a bit easier than for those who were baptized as babies. 🙂
 
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The fact that you were just Baptized as an adult will make it easier. You won’t have to sweat out a general confession with decades of sin. After you were Baptized, your past sins were erased, so you never have to confess any old sins.
  1. try not to commit serious sins
  2. if you do, keep track of it. Confess it ASAP.
    That way you come in and, make the sign of the Cross and recite the Trinitarian formula (In the name of the Father…) and then say “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I was recently Baptized and have never confessed before (after that, it will be like my last Confession was about 3 weeks ago, or however long it has been). These are my sins: sin X, 3 times; sin Y, once, sin Z (which I am not sure I consented to), once. I am sorry for these and all of my sins.”
Then Father might give you some advice or ask questions. After that, he will ask you to make an act of contrition. You can just look up one online and write it out or print it and recite it. Then he will pronounce absolution. There is a special prayer, but the key words here are “I absolve you from your sins in the Name of the Father…”

Once you hear “I absolve you”, you are in the clear. He will then give you a penance, usually saying some prayers.
 
Scott84 said:
After confessing my sins, do I make an act of contrition in the confessional? I just want to make sure I do it right and well for when my first time comes.
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In my experience, the priest usually asks you to say an act of contrition, but if he doesn’t it’s not a big deal. It’s not a required part of the sacrament.
 
Welcome home! Just go in and generally the priest will greet you. You either go face to face to behind the screen and just like you said, you bless me father for I have sinned,this is my first confession. Try not to be vague or you will get vague advice. I learned that the hard way! After you confessed, just be like ok I’m done. That’s very important otherwise it will get awkward. The priest may give you advice,then penance and then absolve you. Good luck!
 
And the priest will ask you to say your act of contrition.
 
Tell the priest it is your first confession and he’ll help you through it. I know you’ll be nervous, but there’s really no reason to be. It’s a great relief!
 
Thank you everyone for all your advice! I am planning on making my first confession tomorrow!
 
I was wondering this myself. It is remarkable how many sins I think I may have committed in the short time since the Easter Vigil.
 
Well, even if we aren’t confessing mortal sins, venial sins are encouraged to be confessed as well.

The Church does encourage us to make frequent use of this wonderful sacrament of healing. Plus frequent confession strengthens us, and allows us to examine ourselves to become more saintly, and we’re all called to be saints! I am blessed to be part of a parish that offers confession everyday!

My family, who is Protestant just doesn’t understand confession. (They don’t understand Catholicism in general)
 
I find reading the ten commandments and the beatitudes helps me see where I have fallen short and where I need forgiveness. This kind of examination is the first step.
 
Scott84 said:
After confessing my sins, do I make an act of contrition in the confessional? I just want to make sure I do it right and well for when my first time comes.
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Make an act of contrition if the priest asks for it. Some do and some don´t. Just keep it with you on a paper until you learn it and it won´t be anything to stress about.

If you have any serious sins in Confession, you should mention both the sin and an estimate of how frequent it´s been committed. If you´d like to Confess venial sins they are to be confessed just by mentioning them.

And another thing… you don´t need to stress over Confession. It´s a part of human nature to do so, but it´s not really that bad. Just make sure you are prepared for it, and go right in 🙂
 
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