Questions about confession

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Our RCIA group is making its first confession on Holy Thursday. I assume the Sacraments board is the right place to ask about this.

(1) Some of the material we’ve been given says that the penitent begins with the “In the name of …” and some says the priest is the one who says “In the name of …” and some suggest both together. Which is correct?

(2) Is it okay to make a written list and bring notes into the confessional? Some of us have years and years in between baptism and today. That’s a lot of sins to remember.

(3) What is the penance? Again some of us have many many years to cover. How can one penance possibly cover all this?
 
Here is a good pamphlet to prepare for Confession:

catholicparents.org/oxcart/examination.html

Yes you may make a short list. Remember the confessional may be dark so you may need a small flashlight. Don’t worry about forgetting something. Make your examination of conscience with a sincere intention and contrition in your heart. Tell the priest that this is your first confession and that you need some guidance with the words.

This should be the start of regular periodic confessions. As you receive the grace, you will be better able to examine your life and may want to further confess past sins. I found this helpful even though all your sins are forgiven, even if not mentioned, if you have a sincere intent to confess and are contrite. In other words don’t worry about forgetting something.

The priest will give you penance. Maybe a few Hail Mary’s or a period of time kneeling before the tabernacle, blessed sacrament, or some other act.

I entered the Church through RCIA 3 years ago. You are in for a real treat! The grace you will feel after confession is immense.
 
Just as a note of clarification, those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil will have all their sins, original sin and actual sin, cleansed through that sacrament, and will not be making their first confession until sometime during their period of Mystagogy after Easter. Those who will confess for the first time during Lent will be those baptized Christians who are entering into full communion with the Catholic church, or adult Catholics who will receive first communion and/or confirmation at Easter.

Your preparation for first confession should include a guide for examination of conscience, based on the 10 commandments, beatitudes, corporal and spiritual works of mercy and precepts of the Church. Since for most of you this will be a general confession a list is fine, if you compose it on your own during prayer, and if you destroy it later and not show it to anyone else. Be concise, name and number of sins (estimate is fine) is enough, or brief statement of nature of a persistent sinful habit (without the gory details) is enough. Priest does not need a play-by-play. What you are after in your examination of conscience is an awareness of what you are doing that separates you from God, why you are doing it, what virtue you need to practice to overcome it. Hopefully this is the guidance the priest can give you. Don’t go in with the expectation of a counselling session or receiving in depth spiritual direction. Those are matters for another time and place. Good luck, pray the act of contrition and our Father every night before bed as good preparation for penance, and meditate on the stations of the Cross and the Passion (sorrowful mysteries of the rosary) during Lent.
 
Thank you both, and thank you for your support. And about Q (1) above – what is the usual practice?
 
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buzzcut:
Thank you both, and thank you for your support. And about Q (1) above – what is the usual practice?
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I don’t know what the standard practice is, but I always say it with the priest.
Good luck! 🙂
 
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buzzcut:
Thank you both, and thank you for your support. And about Q (1) above – what is the usual practice?
Click to expand...
When the priests bless’es himself, I bless myself at the same time.
 
the rite says that the priest begins “In the Name of the Father . . .” etc. but he may not actually say it out loud. You may sign yourself as he speaks, or as you begin speaking. Our priest has instructed the catechists to train the children to begin right away: “Bless me father, for I have sinned, this is my first confession”, and begin telling their sins, without waiting for him to speak.

Also the rite allows for some variations in the words of absolution, and allows for the priest to share a verse of scripture (or not), or to give some specific advice (or not), exhange a sign of peace (or not) so what you actually experience may not be precisely like “the book”. Main elements: confess your sins, priest gives a penance, make act of contrition, priest absolves you. Then you leave the confessional (or reconciliation room), go back to church or wherever to pray the penance. By the way, you have the right to confess either in front of a screen, kneeling, or face to face, usually seated in a chair. If it is a communal penance service with several priests, they may have several temporary stations which will probably be face to face, in which case you don’t have a choice, but that is not ideal.

The penance is a token. There is no way any penance could “make up for” our sins – Jesus alone was worthy and capable and he did it on the cross. The penance is a token that we acknowledge the share our sins had in his sufferen, and demonstrate not only contrition but intent to do better, to convert from sinful habits to virtuous living. Like the child who makes a mess, and later brings his mother a bunch of dandelions as a sign he is sorry. The weeds don’t make up for the work she had to do cleaning up, but she is pleased with the sign of his contrition and love.
 
Oh, so it is definitely the priest who begins. I’m sure I read in those little books (Saint Joseph Sunday Missal 2005) that it was the penitent. Your point about the penance being a token makes sense – I had been wondering about this point. Thank you.
 
(1) Some of the material we’ve been given says that the penitent begins with the “In the name of …” and some says the priest is the one who says “In the name of …” and some suggest both together. Which is correct? Kneel down if doing it behind the screen or sit down if doing it face to face. If the priest does not start with “In the name of …” within two or three seconds, then you do. If the priest does begin with “In the name of …”, then make sure to say “Amen” and begin your confession. It really doesn’t matter and depends on the situation.

(3) What is the penance? Again some of us have many many years to cover. How can one penance possibly cover all this? I usually confess pretty much similar sins. One priest gave me a penance of one Hail Mary while another priest gave me a penance of 15 decades of the rosary – for the SAME sins!

Depends on the priest.
 
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