Priest skipping over contrition

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anon8387311

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Today during Reconciliation the priest asked for my act of contrition, I scrambled to find the page in my book (that I lost) with the short prayer that I wanted to say. After about 5-10 seconds the priest proceeded to the absolution before I’d had chance to say my Contrition or in fact say anything at all.

Does this make my confession invalid in some way? I did the god I was sorry for all my sins at the end of my brief and honest Confesaion section.

Thanks in advance
 
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Contrition is required for the sacrament to be valid. An Act of Contrition prayed in the confessional is not required. Be at peace.
 
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This was quite an oversite!! Not a good thing. Not good at all.
How are we supposed to honor the necessity of this sacrament when we hear of this? I am so sorry this was your experience.
 
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Fraevo63 said:
This was quite an oversite!! Not a good thing. Not good at all.
How are we supposed to honor the necessity of this sacrament when we hear of this? I am so sorry this was your experience.
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Really, it is okay. It is customary, but praying an Act of Contrition aloud, in the confessional, is not an essential element of the sacrament. I have been to confession with priests who never ask for one. I’ve been to confession with priests who asked for it, but don’t hear it because they are giving absolution while I am praying the act of contrition. This is absolutely not a reason to question the validity of an individual confession, nor is it a reason to question the necessity of the Sacrament in general.
 
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I’m new so it would be very disconcerting if it had happened to me. Just saying.
 
babochka said:
This is absolutely not a reason to question the validity of an individual confession, nor is it a reason to question the necessity of the Sacrament in general.
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Exactly. God is not a bean counter, piling up “followed the book” points on one side of the scale and piling up “didn’t follow what the book says” points on the other side . If it really bothers you, confess the sin again but if it were me, I would consider I was being tempted to scrupulosity.
 
OP A short one I think you already know is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
 
Fraevo63 said:
This was quite an oversite!! Not a good thing. Not good at all.
How are we supposed to honor the necessity of this sacrament when we hear of this? I am so sorry this was your experience.
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In what way was it an oversight?

The requirement is that you be sorry for your sins. There is no requirement to say an Act of Contrition while in the confessional. The penitent is welcome to say it later.If desired.

If this is bothering the OP, perhaps a solution is to memorize a version of the prayer. Even something as simple as “I’m sorry, forgive me” would suffice.

And fraevo63, since I see that you’re newly Catholic, consider this an opportunity to learn. Priests actually do know what they’re doing when they hear concessions.
 
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As long as you recited an act on contrition, I think you are okay. He absolved you of your sins.
 
JackMcCoy said:
As long as you recited an act on contrition, I think you are okay. He absolved you of your sins.
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Actually, the relevant standard is “as long as the priest was convinced of your contrition and resolve not to sin again”, then he can absolve sins. Since he did absolve them, this implies that he was convinced (even if he didn’t hear an ‘Act of Contrition’). It’s all good. 😉
 
JackMcCoy said:
As long as you recited an act on contrition, I think you are okay. He absolved you of your sins.
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Reciting a formal Act of Contrition isn’t necessary, (as opposed to giving the priest reason to believe that you are sorry) so there is no ‘I think you are OK’ involved. In other words, there is no doubt and no need to introduce any.
 
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SuscipeMeDomine said:
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Gorgias:
And hopefully, in confession, priests will not only hear the concession that a person messed up, but also a promise to try to not do it again. 😉
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Autocorrect strikes again. 🙂
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LOL!!! 👍
 
Most likely, Father though you were praying it silently.

If you still didn’t pray your act of contrition, pray it now to make you feel better.

Regardless, please be at peace.
 
Please read the second post, by Don Ruggero, a Priest
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Is it okay that a priest doesn't make me say an Act of Contrition in the confessional? Traditional Catholicism
Just noticed there’s one priest at my parish who gives me a penance of course but never asks for me to make an Act of Contrition. I always was under the impression it was required? He’s kind of new to my parish and never had a priest who didn’t ask me to say it, so was just curious.
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Who explains that reciting the Act of Contrition is not required.
 
Fraevo63 said:
I’m new so it would be very disconcerting if it had happened to me. Just saying.
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I get that it would be very disconcerting if you had a narrow experience of receiving the sacrament. Therefore, it is probably a good thing that this happened at the OP’s confession, so that he can learn that it is both valid and acceptable.
 
I hear you but to clarify a few things, asking a valid question about a part of confession we are all use to being omitted is worthwhile asking for people unsure in the future to see. I don’t feel my confession was less Valid but now me and anyone else know more.

Scruples are thinking you have commited a sin when you haven’t and getting paranoid about every little thing. Being uncertain and seeking clarity is nothing to do with my intentions of asking nor is it of any of the same sort of thing at all as being scrupulous, but of seeking Information as it’s the first time ever I haven’t being given time to pray aloud my act of contrition especially when I’ve just been asked for one. Thats all.

Now I have an idea it is not as Important to my intention of being in a state of being g sorrowful so I’m happy with that and not sweating it out. There is a great difference between that and being scrupulous I think.
 
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Yes I always have that on back up in my mind, but I don’t think I would have got much past the first few words.
 
Yes I thought that may be the case and I did Imply at the end of saying my Sins that I was sorry. My contrition was there in intention certainly.
 
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