At the time

You go into the church at one of the times when Confessions are heard, and kneel down and say the prayers provided in your book and ask God to help you make a good Confession.  If there are other people waiting to make their Confession, you wait your turn.

Confess your sins

When your turn comes, go up to the confessional (the place where the priest hears Confessions), kneel down and use the form on the printed card provided.  When you come to the words, “In particular I confess since my last confession” you say how long ago it was, or else when it was.  If it is a first Confession you use the words “in this my first Confession”.  Then you read out everything you have written down, and at the end say the end of the prayer on the card, or your book, which starts, “O God, for these, and all other sins that I cannot now remember, I ask your forgiveness”. (1)

Advice and guidance

In the Common Worship form, the priest then gives advice or guidance and any help you need to complete your Confession; for example, by helping you to put into words a particular sin you have committed.  If we have stolen anything, or have deliberately destroyed something belonging to another, we must make restitution if we can as soon as possible.  That is to say, we must give back what we have stolen or replace what we have destroyed, but we need not let the other person know that it is we who are responsible.  We can, for example, make restitution through the priest.

Penance

The priest will give us a ‘penance’ which may be a prayer or a hymn for us to say.  We say it silently to God as soon as we get back to our place.  The penance is a sign of our repentance and wish to make amends for the damage our sins have caused in the world. 

Act of contrition

After this we say an act of contrition, such as this one in Common Worship:

“My God, for love of you
I desire to hate and forsake all sins
by which I have ever displeased you;
and I resolve by the help of your grace
to commit them no more;
and to avoid all opportunities of sin. 
Help me to do this,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen”. (2)

Absolution

The priest will then give absolution (forgiveness).  Then you know that all your sins are wiped away, and there is nothing between your soul and God to keep you from him.