Saints LightHow Do I Make My First Confession?
Confession is a simple conversation in which you name your sins, receive a penance, pray for forgiveness, and hear Christ forgive you through the priest, who can never repeat what you said.
If you are a baptized candidate, or a Catholic completing your initiation, you will make your first Confession before Easter. (If you are unbaptized, you do not confess before Baptism, because Baptism itself washes away every sin. Your first Confession comes later, whenever you need it.)
Why confess to a priest? Because Jesus gave His apostles the power to forgive sins in His name (John 20:22-23). The priest is not a judge looking for gossip; he acts in the person of Christ. You also get something a private prayer cannot give: to hear, out loud, that you are forgiven (CCC 1455-1456). And the priest may never reveal anything you say, under any circumstances. This is the seal of confession (CCC 1467).
Step 1: Examine your conscience. A day or two before, pray and read through an examination of conscience based on the Ten Commandments. Write notes if it helps. You are bound to confess every mortal sin you remember, by kind and roughly how often; confessing lesser sins is strongly encouraged too (CCC 1456-1458).
Step 2: Go in. You may kneel behind a screen or sit face to face. Make the Sign of the Cross. Say, "This is my first confession," and that you are coming into the Church. Priests love hearing that, and he will help you through every step.
Step 3: Confess. Say your sins simply and plainly. You do not need to tell long stories or explain everyone else's part. If you forget something, it is still forgiven; mention it next time if it was serious.
Step 4: Listen. The priest may offer a few words of advice, then give you a penance, usually prayers or an act of kindness, as a first step of repair (CCC 1459).
Step 5: Contrition and absolution. Pray an Act of Contrition (bring a printed copy; nobody minds). The priest then speaks the words of absolution, and your sins are gone. Do your penance soon after.
Almost everyone is nervous. Almost everyone walks out lighter. The prodigal son rehearsed a speech, and his father barely let him finish.
Key points
- Candidates confess before reception; catechumens do not, since Baptism forgives all sins.
- The priest forgives in the name of Christ and is bound by the absolute seal of confession.
- The steps are: examine, enter, confess, listen and accept a penance, then contrition and absolution.
- Telling the priest it is your first confession lets him guide you.
The Word of God
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.
Catechism paragraphs for this lesson
- CCC 1424
- CCC 1450-1460
- CCC 1467
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Live it this week
Print an examination of conscience and an Act of Contrition, and look up the Confession times at your parish so you know when you will go.
Check yourself: three questions
1. Why do unbaptized catechumens not go to Confession before Easter?
- Because they have no sins to confess
- Because Baptism itself washes away all their sins
- Because Confession is only for cradle Catholics
- Because they must wait a year after Baptism to confess
Show the answer
Because Baptism itself washes away all their sins. Baptism forgives every sin committed before it. Confession is the sacrament for sins committed after Baptism.
2. What happens if you forget to mention a sin in Confession?
- The whole Confession is invalid and must be repeated at once
- That sin alone remains unforgiven forever
- The priest will ask you to come back the next day
- You are still forgiven; mention it next time if it was serious
Show the answer
You are still forgiven; mention it next time if it was serious. An honest Confession forgives even sins you forgot. A serious one you later remember is simply mentioned next time.
3. What is the seal of confession?
- The priest's absolute duty never to reveal what a penitent confesses
- A certificate you receive after your first Confession
- The screen that separates you from the priest
- A promise you make never to sin again
Show the answer
The priest's absolute duty never to reveal what a penitent confesses. Every priest who hears confessions is bound to keep absolute secrecy about the sins confessed (CCC 1467).
Words to know
- Absolution
- The words by which the priest, acting in Christ's name, forgives the penitent's sins.
- Penance
- A prayer or action the priest assigns to help repair the harm of sin.
- Seal of confession
- The absolute secrecy a priest must keep about everything confessed.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
For catechists: a one hour class plan
Goal. The group should understand the simple steps of Confession and the absolute seal, and candidates should feel prepared and unafraid to make their first Confession.
Opener. Ask: "Think of a time someone forgave you for something real. What did it feel like afterward?" Let a few people share. Then admit that most people feel nervous before their first Confession, and that is normal.
Discussion questions
- Why do catechumens not go to Confession before Baptism, while candidates do? [Baptism washes away every sin. Make sure both groups understand their own path.]
- Why confess to a priest instead of only to God in private? [Jesus gave the apostles power to forgive and retain sins (John 20:22-23), and we hear forgiveness spoken aloud. If someone from another tradition objects, receive it kindly.]
- What reassures you about the seal of confession? [The priest can never repeat what you said, under any circumstance. This is often the biggest fear.]
- What part of the steps still worries you? [Walk through it practically. Remind them they can simply tell the priest it is their first confession and he will guide them.]
Activity. Do a gentle walkthrough. Hand out a printed examination of conscience and an Act of Contrition. Walk through the steps aloud: entering, the Sign of the Cross, saying it is your first confession, naming sins, listening, the penance, the Act of Contrition, absolution. If possible, show the confessional or reconciliation room. Then give 5 quiet minutes to read the examination privately; no sharing.
Closing prayer. Merciful Father, You run to meet everyone who comes home to You. Take away our fear and give us honest hearts. Prepare us to hear Your forgiveness, and fill us with the peace only You can give. Amen.
Timing. Opening prayer 5 min, opener 5 min, read the lesson together 12 min, discussion 15 min, activity (walkthrough) 18 min, closing 5 min.
Related lessons
- How Do I Go to Confession? (The Sacraments)
- The Precepts of the Church (Grace and Virtue)
- Why Confess to a Priest? (Hard Questions)
- The Great Commandment and the Beatitudes (The Commandments)
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