Prepare to go to Confession by examining your life and things that you have done wrong. Think about how you have offended God by not following the Commandments and/or the teachings of the Church. Think about how you have not lived up to your calling as a Child of God by your choice of actions, words or thoughts. (You can ask yourself the questions on listed below.) Make a firm commitment not to sin again. Pray and ask God for help:

Come, Holy Spirit! Come into my heart and soul. Enlighten my mind that I know the sins I ought to confess. Grant me your grace to confess them fully, honestly, humbly and with a contrite heart. Help to firmly resolve not to commit these sins again. O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus my Redeemer, help me so that I may make a good confession. All you Angels and Saints of God, pray for me a sinner! Make my heart united with yours in God’s eternal love! Amen!

When you enter the reconciliation room, close the door and choose if you will go to confession behind the screen or face-to-face. The priest then will welcome you and invite you to make your confession. Begin by saying:

Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Penitent: Bless me, father, for I have sinned. My last confession was (here, tell how long it has been since your last confession).

-Then tell your priest the sins you wish to confess. (The priest is strictly bound to keep the "Seal of Confession" and cannot divulge anything you tell him in confession to anyone. So be honest!)

-In order for a sin to be forgiven, it must be mentioned in confession.

-The priest may offer you some counsel and you may ask questions, if needed.

-The priest will assign you a penance to be done. The penance may be prayer or some action to be done.

The penitent prays the Act of Sorrow (Act of Contrition.) Note: There are many forms of the Act of Contrition, use whichever one you are most comfortable with.

If you do not know an Act of Contrition, you may use the following one:

  - 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. Amen!

The priest then, prays the Prayer of Absolution. At the end of which he will say something like:
   Priest: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good!
   Penitent: For His mercy endures forever!
   Priest: Go in peace!
   Be sure to do your penance as soon as possible after leaving Confession.

Some Questions to Help Examine One's Conscience

(based on the Ten Commandments)

I: I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.
Do I give time every day to God in morning and/or evening prayer? Do I put my trust in superstitions, good luck charms, rather than God alone? Have I rejected any Church teaching or denied that I was Catholic in any way?

II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Have I used the words "God" or "Jesus" in anger or irreverently? Have I used foul or ugly language? Have I wished evil on another?

III. Remember to keep holy the Lord's day.
Have I missed Mass on any Sunday or any holy day of obligation through my own fault? Do I arrive at church late or leave early? Do I try to be reverent and pay attention during Mass? Do I avoid unnecessary work on Sunday? Do I try to make Sunday a day of prayer or rest?

IV. Honor your father and your mother.
Do I respect and obey my parents or those in authority over me? Have I dishonored or mistreated them by word or deed? Do I try to get along with members of my family or others? Do I give a good example to others, especially my children or those younger than I? Do I respect others in authority: civic leaders, priests, nuns, police, old people, my boss or work supervisor, others?

V. You shall not kill.
Do I do anything to harm another person, either physically, emotionally or spiritually? Do I say cruel things, or make fun of others to hurt their feelings? Do I say mean things about others behind their backs? Have I stopped speaking to anyone? Do I encourage others to do bad things? Do I try to love all people, born and unborn? Have I spoken up for the right to life of every human being, especially the unborn? Do I take care of my body or do I abuse it with drugs, excessive drinking, overeating, unsafe behavior or actions, etc.?

VI. You shall not commit adultery.
Do I treat my body and other people's bodies with purity and respect? Do I think about impure things or have lustful thoughts? Do I look at television shows, movies, magazine or pictures that are not proper to my calling as follower of Jesus? Am I modest in my speech and the clothes I wear? If I am married, have I done anything against my marriage vows? If I am single, have I done anything against the purity of my body, mind and soul?

VII. You shall not steal.
Have I taken things that were not mine from a store, another person or my place of work? Have I destroyed or misused another person's property just for fun? Do I return things that I borrow? In good condition?

VIII. You shall not commit false witness against your neighbor.
Am I honest in all that I do? Do I tell lies to make myself look good? Do I tell lies to protect myself from punishment? Do I tell lies that make another person look bad or get them in trouble? Do I stand up for truth and right?

IX. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
Do I look at members of the opposite gender and desire things that are not allowed? Do I keep my mind from thinking impure thoughts about other people? Do I get mad when I have to spend time with my spouse, family, loved ones and others? Do I make fun of people because of how they look, speak or because of their nationality?

X. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
Am I jealous or envious of the things or abilities that others have? Am I thankful to God for all that He has given me? Do I share the things I have with my family, friends and poor people? Am I stingy in sharing my time, talents and treasure with my God, my Church, my family and others? Do I really appreciate all that others do for me?