St. Anthony de Padua Parish at 2114 E. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46617 US - Try Confession: It's Good for the Soul

Five Steps for a Good Confession

1. Examine your conscience.
2. Be sincerely sorry for your sins.
3. Confess your sins.
4. Resolve to amend your life.
5. After your confession, do the penance the priest assigns.

Procedure in the confessional

You say:

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  It has been (x times) since my last confession.  These are my sins:

Tell your mortal sins and the number of times committed.  If you have no mortal sin to confess, then confess the venial sins you have committed since your last confession.  When you have finished telling your sins, you should say: “For these and all the sins of my past life I am truly sorry.”

The priest now gives the necessary advice, assigns your penance and asks you to say the Act of Contrition (in some form).  Then wait and listen as the priest gives the absolution.  Then say “Thank you, Father”, leave the confessional and perform the penances assigned by the priest.

An Act of Contrition

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 to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

The Differences in Sin

There are two major kinds of sin: original and actual.  Original sin is the tainted human nature with which we are all born into this world. Actual sin is a transgression of God's law in thought, word or deed. These transgressions - sins -  can be serious or small, mortal or venial.

Mortal sin is a fully conscious, deliberate and serious violation of God's law(s) that destroys the life of grace in the soul. 

Venial sin is a minor transgression of God's law(s).

A well-formed conscience knows the difference between mortal and venial.