Traditional Catholic prayer
Act of Contrition for Confession
Sorrow for sin, love of God, and a sincere purpose of amendment.
Source: A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (Baltimore Catechism No. 3) (1921), Issued by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
About this prayer
Prayer source
A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (Baltimore Catechism No. 3) (1921), Issued by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.
About our prayer sources- What it is
- This Act of Contrition expresses sorrow for offending God and a resolve, with His grace, to confess sins, do penance, and amend one’s life.
- Prayer intention
- Sorrow for sin, love of God, and a sincere purpose of amendment.
- When to pray
- While preparing for Confession and when making an act of sorrow for sin. Follow your priest’s directions in the sacrament.
- Languages
- English
- English prayer source
- A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (Baltimore Catechism No. 3) (1921), Issued by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. View the historical source. Novena Regina provides the explanations above. The prayer text follows the source named here.
Traditional Catholic prayer
Act of Contrition for Confession
Source: A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (Baltimore Catechism No. 3) (1921), Issued by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Questions about this prayer
These explanations are separate from the historical prayer text above.
What is an Act of Contrition?
It is a prayer expressing sorrow for sin and a firm resolve to amend one’s life with God’s grace. This form also states the intention to confess sins and do penance. The words express a sincere act of repentance, not a substitute for it.
The Catechism on contritionWhich Act of Contrition is printed here?
This is the Baltimore Catechism form beginning “O my God, I am heartily sorry.” The complete text follows its common-prayers section. Other traditional forms exist; follow your priest’s directions when preparing for Confession.
Read the prayer in the Catechism