What is confession?

The Sacrament of Confession (also known as the Sacrament of Penance, or the Sacrament of Reconciliation) is the sacrament through which sins committed are forgiven. This is granted through the absolution of the priest to those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to atone for those same sins.

Confessions are usually heard 30 minutes before Mass, or upon request. Click here to send an email and schedule an appointment.

A Catholic is required to go to Confession at least once a year (during Lent) by precept. One also goes to Confession at any time of the year one has mortal sin on one's soul (is "not in a state of grace"), especially if one desires to receive the Eucharist. However, weekly (at least monthly) Confessions are highly encouraged. 

The Council of Trent in 1551 decreed that:

"As a means of regaining grace and justice, penance was at all times necessary for those who had defiled their souls with any mortal sin.... Before the coming of Christ, penance was not a sacrament, nor is it since His coming a sacrament for those who are not baptised. But the Lord then principally instituted the Sacrament of Penance, when, being raised from the dead, he breathed upon His disciples saying: 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained' (John 20:22-23). By which action so signal and words so clear the consent of all the Fathers has ever understood that the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles and to their lawful successors, for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after Baptism." (Sess. XIV, c. i)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church further confirms this, by saying:

"Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as 'the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.'"

How do I confess?

  1. Before confessing, make an Examination of Conscience by mentally reviewing your sins to determine what needs to be confessed. There are many ways to do this, but click here for a good example.
  2. Cultivate contrition in your heart by having conviction of the evil of sin and the resolution to sin no more, regretting for having offended God.
  3. Enter the confessional, and make the Sign of the Cross before saying the following: 'Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [X days, weeks, months, years] since my last Confession. Here is the list of my sins.'
  4. Name all of your sins, specifying their gravity and number of times. When one has finished, one concludes by saying 'For these and all the sins of my past life, I ask pardon of God, penance, and absolution from you, Father.'
  5. Listen to the counsel given by the priest, as well as the penance that you have been given to complete as soon as you leave the confessional.
  6. Make the Act of Contrition. An example of this would be 'O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen'.
  7. The priest will begin the absolution, and once this is done, he will dismiss you. Make the Sign of the Cross, thank him, and leave.
  8. Perform your penance, and make an act of thanksgiving to God for the forgiveness He has granted through His minister in the confessional.

For more information on Confession, click here.