2. Arrival. The Reconciliation Room is in the back left side of church. When you arrive, pick a number from the box on the Baptismal font. Kneel near the back of church to prepare your heart. Listen for your number, then enter the Reconciliation Room. You have the option to go anonymously behind a screen or face-to-face.

3. Greeting and Blessing. After the priest greets you, make the Sign of the Cross and say: 

Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (state how long) since my last confession. These are my sins.

4. Confession of Sins. Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. Don’t engage in a discussion. Just list out your sins, say your Act of Contrition and move on. Set up an appointment with the priest if you want to have a discussion. When you are finished, indicate this by saying, 

For these and all my sins, I ask forgiveness of God and absolution from you, Father.

5. Acceptance of Penance. After you've listed your sins, the priest will take a few minutes to offer guidance or reflection. Then, he will give you a penance to be performed in reparation for your sins.

6. Act of Contrition. Once the priest has given you your penance, he will ask you to make an Act of Contrition. This prayer hangs on the wall of our confessional, so no need to memorize.

Oh 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.

7. Prayer of Absolution. The priest, acting in the person of Christ, will absolve you from your sins by saying, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” You respond by making the Sign of the Cross and saying, 

Amen.

8. Closing. The priest will then conclude with, ”The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace." And you respond, 

Thanks be to God.

9. Perform Your Penance. The final part of Confession is fulfilling our penance. Sometimes this can be done rather quickly in church after the Sacrament, and sometimes it takes more intention and time. Spend some time with Our Lord thanking and praising Him for the gift of His mercy.

"Those who approach the Sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion" (LG 1 § 2) (CCC #1422)

The Sacrament of Penance is given many names. The various names highlight its effects in our lives. Here are the various names we use:

• Sacrament of Penance: This Sacrament allows us to do acts of penance for our sins as away of deepening our conversion and turning away from the sins we confess.

• Sacrament of Conversion: It calls us to change, to convert and become more conformed to the image of Christ.

• Sacrament of Confession: In this Sacrament, we are called to disclose our conscience and reveal our sins in absolute confidentiality to the priest.

• Sacrament of Forgiveness: The ultimate effect of this Sacrament is forgiveness of our sins.

• Sacrament of Reconciliation: By receiving this Sacrament, we are not only reconciled to God, we are also reconciled to the other members of the Church.

When a person is baptized, every sin is forgiven. Of course, if we were baptized as infants, there were no "personal" sins present, only "original sin." In that case, original sin is wiped away. But for those who are baptized as adults, they should be pleased to know that every sin of their past is fully wiped away at baptism. As mentioned in Chapter Three, in the early Church there were those who actually waited to be baptized until later in life so that they could receive this effect of Baptism closer to death. But if we have a proper understanding of both Baptism and Penance, we will realize that infant baptism is the ideal when followed by regular participation in the Sacrament of Penance. Saint Ambrose is quoted in the Catechism to illustrate this by saying, "there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance" (St. Ambrose, ep. 41, 12P:L16, 1116). (CCC #1429)

The key to understanding the Sacrament of Penance is to understand how glorious it is to embrace a life of ongoing conversion. This is the Christian life! It's a life of continually growing closer to God and moving further away from our sins. For some, this can seem like a burden and can be undesirable. But if we understood the wonderful interior rewards of ongoing and deepening conversion, it would be our greatest desire.

Source: mycatholic.life