I Confess (Confiteor)

I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.+

Explanation of the Confiteor

This is a prayer which is used not only in daily devotions but on many other occasions - in the Sacrament of Penance, in the Divine Office, and especially...at the beginning of the Mass.

Like the Creed, it takes its name from its first word. "Confiteor," in Latin, means "I confess." The Confiteor is a general confession of sin, an acknowledgment of guilt, made in the presence of God and His Saints, and a prayer that the Saints may intercede for the sinner.

The Confiteor was originally a part of the private prayers offered by the priest in preparation for Mass, expressing his unwothiness and asking for grace and forgiveness. After a time, about the tenth century, it became customary for the priest to say this prayer at the foot of the altar (before the reforms of Vatican II), and gradually it came to be regarded as a part of the Mass....

Until quite recently, it was usual to recite the first part of the Confiteor in the confessional before making the accusation of sins; but at the present time, for the sake of expediting the confession, it is recommended that it be said before entering, and that only the words "I confess to Almighty God and to you, Father (that I have sinned)" be used in the confessional.