The prayer of confession

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When you pray the Confession alone so you use the exact words used at Mass?
And do the Priest say the same words whether celebrating Mass alone or with other people present?
I am asking about both EF and OF.
 
I assume you’re talking about the Penitential Act.

I don’t pray the Penitential Act outside of Mass.

As for the priest, the Order of the Mass is the same whether he is celebrating Mass alone or with others present. In the OF there are multiple options for the Penitential Act, but one of these options must be used. In the EF, there is only one option, the Confiteor. In either form, the priest cannot invent his own Penitential Act.

Hope this helps.
 
People don’t “pray the Confession alone”.
They might say an Act of Contrition, which is not part of the Mass.
They might also just say the Jesus Prayer.
 
In the Roman Missal for the Ordinary Form there are two versions of the prayer beginning “I confess”.

In the section “The Order of Mass With the Participation of a Single Minister” it has:

“I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brother, …

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brother,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

In the section “The Order of Mass” it has:

“I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters, …

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

Different words depending on who you are praying with. If the minister were female it would make sense to say “and you, my sister”.

If the Mass were being said by the Priest on his own it seems to me it would be better to use another of the options for the Penitential Act, for example “You were sent to heal the contrite of heart, Lord have mercy. …”.

[Excerpts from the English translation of the Roman Missal © 2010 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
 
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That’s interesting. I don’t recall those options existing in the current French translation, but I admit to not having paid much attention to it during the time I had access to the missal.

Thank you for posting this 🙂
 
Well, people do pray the Divine Office alone and it is included in it
 
I did some reading on the EF and the question for that form seem a bit different.
For such a Mass two version of the Confiteor are being said. The Priest has his own version.
In the OF there is only one Confiteor being said.
In the EF the issue is “et tibi pater”. You ommit this when praying alone.
I am not sure you ommit “brothers and sisters” in the OF Confiteor.

I understand that “brothers and sisters” refer only to those physically present so it must be ommited when saying it alone, right?
 
I assume you are speaking of Compline (Night Prayer).

After the Introduction to the Hour (“Oh God, come to my aid…”), my (OF) breviary says:
Here an examination of conscience is commended. In a common celebration this may be inserted in a penitential act using the formulas given in the Missal.
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In other words, the penitential act is only used when praying in community, which by definition means one isn’t alone. Furthermore, regardless of circumstance neither the penitential act nor the examination of conscience is required for the praying of Compline/NP, so a person praying the DO/LOTH alone could omit the EoC. Finally, the penitential act, if used in common prayer, must be one of those used at Mass.

I cannot speak for the EF breviary as I have never prayed according to it and don’t own one.
 
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Along with the Acts of Hope, Faith, Charity, and Contrition, the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, and the Apostles Creed, the Confiteor was was one of the prayers I was reciting every night as a child.
 
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UpUpAndAway said:
That’s interesting. I don’t recall those options existing in the current French translation, but I admit to not having paid much attention to it during the time I had access to the missal.

Thank you for posting this 🙂
Click to expand...
Yes, they are there.
 
Thank you. Ya learn something new every day. 🙂
 
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dearest sister, the prophet Matthew taught in chapter 6, not to use vain repetitions which implies to the same prayer over and over, but to sincerely speak to the father as he is. pray to know this is true
 
The emphasis is on vain and not on repetition. Jesus even taught us Our Father as a model how we are to pray.

Prayer can be silent, vocal (your own words or someone else´s) or an action like reading Scripture and meditating on what is written at the same time.
 
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