Simplified Rubrics of Confession

BEFORE GOING TO CONFESSION:

1. Pray. Ask God to give you the grace to make a good confession.
2. Examine your conscience. Reflect on your life, trying to recall all the times you sinned against God since your last confession. Use an Examination of Conscience to help you.
3. Cultivate genuine penitence. Be truly sorry for your sins.
4. Resolve to change and make amends. Make a firm resolution to avoid committing these sins in the future and to make amends to anyone who many have been harmed by your sins.

DURING CONFESSION:
1. Enter Confessional and kneel or sit.

2. Greet the priest. “Good Evening Father”

3. Then make the sign of the cross and say the following: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been (give days, weeks, months, or years) since my last confession. These are my sins.”

4. At this time, confess your sins briefly and clearly. Don’t be afraid to ask the priest for guidance.

5. When you finish confessing your sins, say: “…for these and all other sins I may have forgotten, I am truly sorry.”

6. The priest may give you some words of advice and/or encouragement to help you become a better person and a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

7. Following this, the priest will assign you a penance which you are to do when you leave the confessional.

8. After giving you the penance, the priest will ask you to say the Act of Contrition. You may say whichever one you know. If you do not know an Act of Contrition, ask the priest to assist you.

9. When you are finished praying the Act of Contrition, the priest will say the Prayer of Absolution. Listen attentively to that prayer, bless yourself as he makes the Sign of the Cross and at the end of the prayer, answer “Amen.”

10. After giving you absolution, the priest will say: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.” at which you respond, “His mercy endures forever.”

11. The priest concludes by saying, “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.” and you respond, “Thanks be to God and Thank You Father.”

AFTER CONFESSION:
1. Say a prayer of thanksgiving. Give thanks to God for the gift of his infinite mercy and for the sacrament you have just received.

2. Do your penance. It is advisable that you do your penance as soon as possible so that you will not forget to do it.