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Prepare for Confession

A guided examination and confession aid

Prepare prayerfully, review the Commandments and duties of your state in life, build a concise list for the confessional, choose an Act of Contrition, and finish with thanksgiving and repair.

Private preparation. Your selections are stored only in this browser on this device and are intentionally excluded from cloud sync and automatic app snapshots. Use Clear preparation after confession if you do not want them left on the device.
1. Prepare
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Begin in God’s mercy

This step follows the preparation method in Fr. F. X. Lasance’s My Prayer-Book (1908): take the confession seriously, ask for light to see your sins honestly, ask for grace to confess sincerely, and form a real purpose of amendment.

Source: Lasance, My Prayer-Book, “Before Confession,” p. 344. Also in app: Prayer & Devotion Library → Confession.

Do not turn the examination into a search for perfect certainty. Name what you honestly remember. If you struggle with scrupulosity, follow the guidance of your confessor rather than repeatedly reopening doubtful or already-confessed matters.

Lasance prayer before confession

Most merciful God, Father in heaven, relying on Thy goodness and mercy I come to Thee with filial confidence to confess my sins and to implore Thy forgiveness. Thou wilt not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless me and receive me again into Thy favor; I acknowledge that I have been most ungrateful to Thee, but I sincerely repent and detest the wrong I have done, and I desire henceforth to walk in the way of perfection in accordance with Thy holy will.

O Jesus, my Saviour, my good Shepherd, I have strayed far from the path that Thou hast marked out for me. Repentant and sorrowful, I beg the grace to examine my conscience well and to confess my sins sincerely.

O Holy Spirit, come in Thy mercy; enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may know my sins, humbly confess them, and sincerely amend my life. Mary, my Mother, refuge of sinners, assist me by thy intercession. Holy angels and saints of God, pray for me. Amen.

Look back since your last confession

Lasance begins the examination by looking at the previous confession: whether something grave was knowingly concealed, whether penance and necessary repair were completed, and whether the resolutions made were actually taken up.

A sincere purpose of amendment means genuinely intending to turn from sin; it does not mean guaranteeing that you will never struggle or fall again.

God, holy things, Sunday

Read slowly. Check an item only when it helps you identify something you actually need to confess.

Commandments I–III — God, holy things, Sunday

Family, authority, duties of state

Examine the responsibilities actually entrusted to you. The same commandment can involve different duties for parents, children, spouses, employers, employees, professionals, students, and people exercising authority.

Commandment IV — family, authority, and duties of state

Life, health, anger, charity

Safety: if self-harm, suicide risk, violence, severe intoxication/withdrawal, or abuse is current, confession can be spiritually important but is not a substitute for immediate safety and professional help.

Commandment V — life, health, anger, and charity

Chastity and sexual integrity

Distinguish involuntary thoughts, feelings, attractions, or temptations from deliberate consent and chosen actions. Temptation by itself is not sin.

Commandments VI & IX — chastity and sexual integrity

Property, truth, reputation, envy

Commandments VII, VIII & X — property, truth, reputation, envy

Church precepts and serious omissions

These use the current Catechism framework rather than the older disciplinary list printed in historical prayer books. Particular holy days and penitential discipline can vary by country and competent local authority.

Current Church precepts, omissions, and recurring patterns

About gravity: this checklist does not decide whether a sin is mortal. Catholic teaching requires grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent for mortal sin; circumstances can affect responsibility. If you are unsure, describe the act honestly and ask the priest.

Current references: Catechism — Precepts of the Church ↗ · Canon 988 — confession of grave sins ↗.

Review what you plan to confess

For grave sins, the Church requires confession in kind and number insofar as you honestly know them. Use the optional detail fields for frequency/number and a brief circumstance when it changes the nature of the act. You do not need a long story.

In the confessional — current practical form

  1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say:

    “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [length of time] since my last confession.”

  2. Tell your sins to the priest. If you are unsure how to proceed, simply ask him to help you.

When you have finished, you may conclude:

“For these and any sins I may have forgotten I am heartily sorry, beg pardon of God, and absolution of you, my Father.”

  1. Listen to the priest. Answer any questions honestly. Receive his counsel and the penance he assigns.
  2. When the priest invites you, pray an Act of Contrition.
  3. Receive absolution attentively. Follow the priest’s direction if his sequence or wording differs.
Verified current practice: the U.S. bishops’ guide uses the same opening and says the penitent may begin with “these or similar words.” It suggests a shorter closing (“I am sorry for these and all my sins”), followed by penance/counsel and an Act of Contrition. The longer closing above is a traditional devotional form you may use; it is not a required sacramental formula.

Current guide: USCCB — How-To Guide to the Sacrament of Penance ↗.

Choose an Act of Contrition

The priest may ask for an Act of Contrition after giving counsel and penance. Follow his direction. These are convenient options available in the app; the USCCB also publishes current approved forms at the link below.

Traditional Act of Contrition — Baltimore Manual (1889)

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, 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 confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Short Act — Lasance, My Prayer-Book (1908)

O my God, I am truly sorry that I have sinned, because Thou art infinitely good and sin displeases Thee. I promise not to offend Thee again. I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul, and I will endeavor to please Thee in everything.

Very short prayer of the penitent

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Also in app: Prayer Index and Lasance Confession Devotions. Current U.S. options are also published by the USCCB ↗.

After confession — thanksgiving and repair

Lasance’s method does not end at absolution. Give thanks, complete the penance reasonably soon, carry out restitution or other repair, and put the concrete resolution into practice.

Source: Lasance, My Prayer-Book, “Thanksgiving after Confession,” p. 354. Also in app: Prayer & Devotion Library → Confession.

Eternal Father! I thank Thee, I bless Thee, for Thy goodness and mercy. Thou hast had compassion on me, although in my folly I had wandered far away from Thee and offended Thee. With fatherly love Thou hast received me anew and forgiven me through the holy sacrament of Penance. Blessed forever, O my God, be Thy loving-kindness, Thy infinite mercy!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee. Jesus, my God, I love Thee above all things.

O Divine Spirit! penetrate my soul with true horror and loathing of sin. Grant that I may be more exact in the fulfilment of all my duties, and strengthen me by Thy grace, that I may not again yield to temptation.

Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation. Mary, our hope, have pity on us!

Lasance verses of thanksgiving and confidence

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee. Who forgiveth all thy iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our iniquities from us. As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear Him.

I will praise Thee, because Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. O praise the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endureth forever.

Log the confession

Clearing removes the selected sins and notes from this device. It does not delete a separate sacramental log entry.