Catholic Prayers for Before and After Confession with Printables

Ever since I was a small child, I have had a very strong devotion to the sacrament of penance. In this post, I want to share with you a few Catholic prayers for before and after confession.

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“The whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.” Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the sacrament of Penance with a contrite heart and religious disposition, reconciliation “is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation.” Indeed the sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true “spiritual resurrection,” restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)- 1468

The Sacrament of Reconciliation has been a huge comfort to me during some of the most trying times in my life. It leaves a kind of inner peace only obtained from the grace of the holy spirit.

Quick Tips for Going to Confession for Busy Parents

• Make a note of the local Catholic churches’ times of confession and put it in your planner/ where your schedules are
• For those who are nervous about going to confession, the more often you go the less nerve-wracking it is. The longer we go without going to confession, I’ve noticed my kids get a little bit anxious about it.
• Mark it in your calendar for the next three months when you plan on going to confession. It’s a good idea to have it scheduled ahead of time. It also helps you remember when your last confession was.

Tips for Teaching Your Kids About the Sacrament of Confession

• The most important thing is to be an example. How you act towards confession is going to influence your kids. We take them with us when we go to confession and talk about what it is, why we go, and how awesome it is for us.
• Talk about it when they are young. You don’t have to wait till they are about to get their first Holy Communion.
• Roleplay: It helps my kids to “act out” going to confession so they are comfortable with how to do it. 
• Encourage children to do an examination of conscience before they go to bed.
• Read them the story of the prodigal son.

5 Steps to Confession

1. Examination of conscience.
2. True sorrow for your sins.
3. Confess your sins.
4. Make a firm resolution to amend your life. 
5. After your confession do the penance that your priest assigns

Prayers to Say Before Confession

Prayer Before Confession 1

Oh my God, without You I can do nothing. You have told me, “Ask and you shall receive.” In full confidence in Your promise, therefore, I beg You to accept the confession I am about to make and grant me true contrition for my many offenses. Saviour of the world who gave Yourself to the death of the cross to save sinners, look with mercy on me, a sinner. Regard not my wickedness in such a manner to forget Your pardon. For my offenses I deserve condemnation, but presuming upon the ransom of Your blood, I ask forgiveness. Heal my wounds, Lord Jesus. Send the light of Your truth into my soul so that I may worthily confess my shortcomings. Give me a contrite heart and true sorrow for my offenses. Although I am unworthy of Your love, because of it I come to You for forgiveness. Have mercy on me, O Lord, have mercy! Amen.

Prayer Before Confession 2

Come Holy Spirit into my soul, Enlighten my mind that I may know the sins I ought to confess, and grant me Your grace to confess them fully, humbly, and with a contrite heart. Help me to firmly resolve not to commit them again. O Blessed Virgin, Mother of my Redeemer, mirror of innocence and sanctity, and refuge of penitent sinners, intercede for me through the Passion of Your Son, that I may obtain the grace to make a good confession.

All you blessed Angels and Saints of God, pray for me, a most miserable sinner, that I may repent from my evil ways, that my heart may henceforth be forever united with yours in eternal love. Amen.

Prayer Before Confession 3

Oh my God, I don’t want to go to hell. I know that because of my many sins I deserve to go there. Help me get rid of my sins. I don’t want to lose my soul in everlasting torment, without all happiness, banished from You forever. Help me realize that I shall have to make up for my venial sins, too, and that some of the punishment due to all sin, even if we escape hell, must be paid in purgatory. Help me do some real penance to make up for my sins, and get rid of part of my purgatory before I die.

Oh my God, now I see very clearly that I have not given You the service that I owe You for so many reasons. I have abused Your wonderful gifts, using them to offend You who are so good and so lovable. I sinned even in Your presence. I saddened Your Heart at the very moment when You were looking on me with perfect love. I was so blind and ungrateful as to love creatures more than You, my creator, who because You are infinitely good and lovable deserve all my love; I preferred my own pleasure to do Your will. Pardon me, O my God, for all the sins of my whole life. I am sorry for them. I hate them from the bottom of my heart because You hate them. I beg of You, say to me, “Your sins are forgiven.” Amen.

Prayer Before Confession 4

Receive my confession, O most loving and gracious Lord Jesus Christ, only hope for the salvation of my soul. Grant to me true contrition of soul, so that day and night I may by penance make satisfaction for my many sins. Savior of the world, O good Jesus, Who gave Yourself to the death of the Cross to save sinners, look upon me, most wretched of all sinners; have pity on me, and give me the light to know my sins, true sorrow for them, and a firm purpose of never committing them again.

O gracious Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of Jesus, I implore you to obtain for me by your powerful intercession these graces from your Divine Son.

St. Joseph, pray for me.

Prayers to Say After Confession

Prayer After Confession 1

My dearest Jesus, I have told all my sins to the best of my ability. I have sincerely tried to make a good confession and I know that you have forgiven me. Thank you dear Jesus! Your divine heart is full of love and mercy for poor sinners. I love You dear Jesus; you are so good to me. My loving Saviour, I shall try to keep from sin and to love You more each day. Dearest Mother Mary, pray for me and help me to keep all my promises. Protect me and do not let me fall back into sin. Dear God, help me to lead a good life. Without Your grace, I can do nothing. Amen.

Prayer After Confession 2

God, I thank you for your abundant mercies. No sin of mine is beyond your power to forgive, and your forgiveness has restored my soul to friendship with you. Thank you for never ceasing to love me even when my actions show that I do not love you fully. Thank you for seeking me out as the shepherd seeks the lost sheep. Amen.

Prayer After Confession 3

O almighty and most merciful God, I give You thanks with all the powers of my soul for this and all other mercies, graces, and blessings bestowed on me, and prostrating myself at Your sacred feet, I offer myself to be henceforth forever Yours. Let nothing in life or death ever separate me from You! I renounce with my whole soul all my treasons against You, and all the abominations and sins of my past life. I renew my promises made in Baptism, and from this moment I dedicate myself eternally to Your love and service. Grant that for the time to come, I may detest sin more than death itself, and avoid all such occasions and companies as have unhappily brought me to it. This I resolve to do by the aid of Your divine grace, without which I can do nothing. Amen.

FREE PRINTABLE CONFESSION PRAYERS

Prayers for Confession for Kids

Catholic Prayer Before Confession for Kids 1 (Simple form of Act of Contrition)

Oh my God, I am sorry for my sins because I have offended you. I know I should love you above all things. Help me to do penance, to do better, and to avoid anything that might lead me to sin.

Catholic Prayer Before Confession for Kids 2

Dear Jesus, help me to make a good Confession,
help me to find out my sins,
help me to be sorry for them,
help me to make up my mind not to sin again.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, and forgive me.

Mary, my mother, pray for me. Amen.

Catholic Prayer After Confession for Kids 1

Jesus, I love You, help me to love You more.

Catholic Prayer After Confession for Kids 2 (Fatima prayer)

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

Catholic Prayer After Confession for Kids 3

Father, Your Love never fails. Keep me from danger and provide for all my needs. Teach me to be thankful for Your Gifts. Confident in Your Love, may I be holy by sharing Your Life, and grant me forgiveness of my sins. May Your unfailing Love turn me from sin and keep me on the way that leads to you. Help me to grow in Christian love

Act of Contrition / Prayer of the Penitent

Version 1

Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee. I detest my sins because of thy just punishment, but most of all because they offend thee, my Lord, 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 occasion of sin. Amen.

Version 2

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because I have offended you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

FREE PRINTABLE CONFESSION PRAYERS FOR KIDS

Catholic Books About Confession

Confession Guide for Kids

I myself find it helpful to read guides for confession. My church has some available in the narthex but they’re geared toward adults. I believe younger children could really benefit from a confession guide as well. I don’t know about the churches near you but I have had the hardest time finding kid-friendly confession guides. I usually only see ones for adults and I don’t feel comfortable with my young ones reading a guide that asks “Did you participate in abortion” or “Have you looked at pornography”. That is why I have decided to create my own Confession Guide for Kids.

It is a tri-fold brochure style, colorful, and easy-to-read guide for young Catholics. It includes an examination of conscience for children based on the ten commandments, a step-by-step guide of what to do and say, the act of contrition, and a quote about confession.

The Confession Guide for Kids is available on my shop page or through my Etsy shop.

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My love and utmost respect for the Sacrament of reconciliation is something that I believe I got from my mom. My mother would talk about confession like it was a completely normal thing and how it is an amazing gift that God has given us. She also made sure we knew to be 100% honest and take it very seriously. I hope to instill a desire for the sacrament in my children as well.

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