ADULT’S GUIDE TO INDIVIDUAL CONFESSION IN THE DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH

(This Rite may vary from those used elsewhere. These steps need not be memorized. You may bring this guide into the
Confessional, or you may ask Father to assist you in going through the steps.)

1. YOU prepare yourself for the Sacrament of Reconciliation before you enter the Confessional, by conducting an “Examination
of Conscience” and by being truly sorry for hurting God and others with your sins. If you are attending a Communal
Reconciliation Service, the Examination of Conscience will be included. If you are not attending a Reconciliation Service,
then you should conduct an Examination of Conscience silently in your heart. It is best to use a guide for this self-examination,
such as the guide on the reverse side of this sheet.

2. YOU enter the confessional, close the door, and sit or kneel down. You will usually have a choice of sitting face-to-face
with Father or kneeling behind a privacy screen with Father listening on the other side.

3. YOU SAY: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was ________ (State number of months, weeks or
years) ago.

4. YOU SAY: “My sins are…” (Then you tell Father all the sins you can remember. If you find it hard to confess a certain
sin, don’t just skip over it. Ask Father for help in confessing it. You can say, “Father, I have a sin that I am finding it difficult
to confess. Could you please help me?”)

5. YOU SAY: “For these and all my sins I am very sorry.”

6. FATHER will then talk to you about your confession. He might ask questions or indicate he wants a response from you –
just answer with the words that come to you naturally.

7. FATHER will then give you a Penance. This might take the form of prayers to say after the Confession is completed – or he
might give you other special actions to do later.

8. FATHER will then ask you to pray an “Act of Contrition.”

9. YOU pray an Act of Contrition (also known as Prayer of the Penitent or Prayer of Sorrow): (Choose from any of these
options. NOTE: if you attended a Penance Service and the Act of Contrition was prayed as a group, you do not need to pray an
Act of Contrition again.)

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You,
whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend with Your help to do penance, to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads
me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy.

Or: Oh God, I am sorry I have sinned. I love You. With Your help, I will do better from now on.

Or: You may pray any other Act of Contrition or a spontaneous prayer of contrition that expresses sorrow, requests
forgiveness, and indicates an intention to avoid sin with God’s help.

10. YOU bow your head

11. FATHER, acting in the person of Christ, then will absolve you from your sins. He will extend one or both hands and say
the Prayer of Absolution: God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world
to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church, may God give
you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

12. YOU answer, “Amen.”

13. FATHER will say, “Go in peace.”

14. YOU answer, “Thank you Father.” Then leave the Confessional and perform your penance. You rejoice that, through this
Sacrament, Jesus has reached out to you with love and Reconciliation. He has given you the grace to recognize your sins, to
admit them, to feel true sorrow for them, to be truly forgiven, and to grow in Christ-like love and unity.
 EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE -- ADULTS AND OLDER TEENS

Do I try to pray to God, thank Him, and know Him better every day – or have I forgotten about God for many days, and failed to seek to
grow in relationship with Him?

Do I speak the names of God and Jesus reverently – or do I use these holy names to express anger or impress others?

Do I celebrate Mass every Sunday (or Saturday vigil) and Holy Day – or have I skipped Mass without a good reason?

Do I receive the Sacrament of Penance at least once a year? Do I observe required days of fast and abstinence?

Do I listen and behave reverently at Mass and participate in songs and prayers – or do I fail to participate actively?

Do I acknowledge my love for Jesus publicly and share the Gospel message with others through words and actions?

Have I loved God above all things -- or have I allowed someone or something other than God to take the highest place in my life?

Do I support my parish by contributing my fair share of time, talent and treasure – or have I let others carry my share?

Do I honor my parents and cooperate with them – or do I disobey them, neglect them, or speak disrespectfully?

If married, am I living faithfully and lovingly in a sacramentally valid marriage – or have I failed to be faithful, neglected to be loving,
or put off taking action to make my marriage sacramental?

Do I make sufficient time for my family, or have I allowed less important things to come first?

Do I respect teachers, officers of the law, and others in authority and cooperate with them?

Do I treat all people with loving kindness – or have I been rude, harshly judgmental, overly controlling, or prejudiced?

Do I care for the earth by trying to protect the environment – or do I litter and waste resources?

Do I responsibly vote, build up my community, and work to correct injustice – or am I willfully uninformed or indifferent?

Do I treat others with kindness and forgiveness – or have I used hurtful words, profanity, or cruel actions?

Do I care for my mental and physical health – or have I used my body, food, drink, drugs, or other things in unhealthy ways?

Have I dealt with anger well – or have I been violent, or hurtful to myself or others in my words or actions?

Do I follow safety rules and laws – or do I break the rules and endanger myself and others?

Am I considerate of others in my actions – or have I been primarily concerned with pleasing myself?

Do I respect the property of others – or have I stolen, cheated, or willfully damaged property?

Do I share my time and wealth with others in need – or have I become greedy, materialistic, or selfish?

Am I truthful – or have I lied or cheated to avoid trouble, to impress others, to get what I want, or to get revenge?

Am I honest with myself – or do I try to deny the truth when it does not please me?

Do I speak kindly of others – or have I gossiped and made fun of others?

Do I uphold the value of Life, from the moment of conception through natural death – or have I supported the taking of innocent life
such as abortion, cloning, in vitro fertilization, euthanasia, fetal stem cell research, contraception, or other immoral practices?

Am I practicing the virtues of chastity, modesty, and purity -- reserving sexual activity for the Sacrament of Marriage – or am I
regularly looking at impure media, dressing or behaving immodestly, and/or engaging in other impure practices?

When I am uncertain whether an action is sinful, have I sought the guidance of the Church by reading authoritative Catholic materials
and/or talking to a priest (or other trusted, knowledgeable and holy Catholic counselor) – or have I trusted only in my own judgment?
 CHILDREN’S GUIDE TO FIRST CONFESSION

Enter the confessional, close the door, and sit or kneel down.

Say: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. This is my first Confession.”

Say: “My sins are…”and list your sins.

Say: “For these and all my sins I am very sorry.”

Listen to Father who will talk to you kindly about your sins and give
you a Penance.

You bow your head.

You listen to Father pray the Prayer of Absolution.

You say “Thank You Father,” after he tells you to “Go in Peace.”

You leave the Confessional and go to pray your Penance prayers.

NOTE: Never worry about Confession. Jesus is just glad you are
trying to grow in love for Him and for others! If you forget what to say
in the Confessional, just tell Father and he will help you.
 CHILDREN’S GUIDE TO INDIVIDUAL CONFESSION

Enter the confessional, close the door, and sit or kneel down.

Say: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. My last Confession was _______
months ago.”

Say: “My sins are…”and list your sins

Say: “For these and all my sins I am very sorry.”

Listen to Father who will talk to you kindly about your sins and give you a
Penance.

If you are participating in a Reconciliation Service, you will pray the “Act of
Contrition” with the group before your Individual Confession. If you have not
participated in a Reconciliation Service, Father will ask you to pray an Act of
Contrition in the Confessional. And you will say:

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to
do good, I have sinned against You, whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend
with Your help to do penance, to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our
Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy.

YOU bow your head.

YOU listen to Father pray the Prayer of Absolution.

You say “Thank You Father,” after he tells you to “Go in Peace”

You leave the Confessional and go to pray your Penance Prayers

NOTE: Never worry about Confession. Jesus is just glad you are trying to grow in love for Him and
others! If you forget what to say in the Confessional, just tell Father and he will help you.
 CHILDREN’S EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Do I pray to God every day – or have I often forgotten?

Do I attend Mass every Sunday (or Saturday evening) and pay attention – or have I tried
to get out of Mass, behaved disrespectfully, or failed to participate at Mass?

Do I speak the names of God and Jesus only with reverence – or have I used these
names disrespectfully or in anger?

Do I speak respectfully to my parents and obey – or do I disobey and talk back?

Do I respect my teachers and others in authority – or have I disobeyed or talked

disrespectfully in class, on the bus, or in other places?

Do I treat people with kindness and love – or have I been unkind or inconsiderate?

Do I take care of my health – or have I been eating or drinking the wrong things,
avoiding exercise, sleeping too little, or breaking safety rules?

Do I deal with my anger in good ways – or have I hurt others with angry actions?

Do I respect the property of others – or have I taken or damaged things that do not
belong to me?

Do I help and share with family, teachers, friends, and the poor – or am I lazy, selfish, or
greedy?

Am I truthful with myself and others – or have I lied or denied the truth?

Do I speak kindly about other people – or have I gossiped and made fun of others?

Do I complete my schoolwork or games honestly – or do I sometimes copy or cheat?

Do I obey my parents’ rules about staying away from TV, movies, music, video games,
clothing, or web sites that are not good for me – or do I sneak and disobey?

Do I try to keep the peace – or do I tease, argue, bully, or upset others on purpose?
Remember, we confess our sins because we love Jesus and all people. We feel badly when we know
we have hurt Jesus or other people – and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will make us feel better
because it helps us to be sure we are forgiven and we are receiving God’s help to do better. This
sacrament helps us grow to be more like Jesus – more loving and caring. It’s important to be sorry,
and to really try to do better in the future.