Act of Contrition

The Act of Contrition is the prayer of sorrow for sin that a Catholic prays in confession, after the priest gives the penance and before absolution. It is also prayed outside confession, at the end of the day or whenever you become aware of having done wrong.

There is more than one approved wording. The one below is the form given in the Order of Penance and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you,
and I detest all my sins because of your just punishments,
but most of all because they offend you, my God,
who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace,
to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Amen.

The Traditional Form The Order of Penance Form Short Forms For Children When You Say It in Confession What the Words Mean Perfect and Imperfect Contrition Praying It Outside Confession Questions

The Traditional Act of Contrition

If you learned this prayer as a child and the version at the top of the page does not sound like the one you remember, you are not misremembering. Two English wordings are both in wide use and both are commonly called traditional. Most pages present one of them as though the other did not exist, which is why this trips people up.

The form used by the USCCB and the Order of Penance

The older American catechism wording

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.
Amen.

The two differ in two places: the reason given for detesting sin (God’s just punishments, or the loss of heaven and the pains of hell), and the resolution at the end. Both are legitimately in use, and which one you were taught depends largely on your parish and the edition of the catechism you learned from. If you are in the confessional and the wording drifts between them, nothing is wrong.

The Act of Contrition from the Order of Penance

This is the form composed for the revised Rite of Penance and it is the one many people now learn first. It is shorter and plainer than the traditional wording.

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 Saviour Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy.

A further approved form

The USCCB also publishes this wording, which renders a Latin form promulgated under Pope Paul VI.

O my God, I am sorry and repent with all my heart
for all the wrong I have done and for the good I have failed to do,
because by sinning I have offended you,
who are all good and worthy to be loved above all things.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace,
to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid the occasions of sin.
Through the merits of the Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Lord, have mercy.

Short Forms

The Rite of Penance provides several forms, and some are very short. If you cannot remember a long prayer under pressure, use one of these. They are not a lesser option.

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

This one is listed by the USCCB among the acts of contrition a penitent may use. It is also the oldest prayer on this page by a long way, and it contains everything the longer forms contain: who He is, what you are, and what you are asking for.

A form drawn from Psalm 51

Lord God,
in your goodness have mercy on me.
Do not look on my sins,
but take away all my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart
and renew within me an upright spirit.

The Act of Contrition for Children

There is no single official children’s version. Dioceses differ, and children preparing for First Reconciliation are taught different wordings in different places. Two that are in use:

A simplified form used in First Reconciliation preparation

O my God, I am sorry for my sins.
In choosing to sin and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you.
I promise, with the help of your Son, Jesus,
to make up for my sins and to love you and others as I should.
Amen.

The Order of Penance form

Some parishes teach children the standard shorter form given above, beginning “My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.” Others teach the full traditional wording even to second graders.

If your child is preparing for First Reconciliation, use the wording their parish teaches rather than the one on any website, including this one. The catechist will have a specific text they are working from.

When You Say It in Confession

The Act of Contrition comes near the end, and it comes before absolution rather than after. The order runs like this:

You are greeted, and you make the sign of the cross.
You confess your sins.
The priest offers counsel and gives you a penance.
You pray the Act of Contrition.
The priest gives absolution.
You are dismissed, and you carry out the penance afterwards.

Practice varies a little, and some priests will ask for it at a slightly different point. If you are unsure, the priest will prompt you. If you cannot remember the words at all, say so and pray it in your own words. Sorrow that is real is what the prayer exists to express, and priests hear it done imperfectly every day of the week.

The Order of Penance was revised for use in the United States in 2023, and the formula of absolution changed slightly in that revision. What the priest says may not be exactly what you remember hearing years ago. The essential words are unchanged.

What the Words Mean

The prayer is short and every clause is doing work. Taken in order:

I am heartily sorry for having offended you. Sorrow, and sorrow directed at a person rather than at a rule. Sin is treated here as something done to God, not merely something done wrong.
I detest all my sins. All of them, including the ones you have not thought about and the ones you are quietly fond of.
Because of your just punishments. The lower motive, and the Church does not pretend otherwise. Fear of consequence is a real reason to turn away from sin and it is allowed to be named.
But most of all because they offend you. The higher motive, and the hinge of the whole prayer. This is the line that turns it from fear into love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace. A genuine intention to change, and an admission that you cannot do it unaided. Both halves matter.
To avoid the near occasions of sin. Not only the sin but the situations that reliably lead to it. This is the most practical line in the prayer and the one most often skipped over.

Perfect and Imperfect Contrition

These are technical terms and they are worth understanding, because there is a good deal of loose talk about them.

Imperfect contrition, also called attrition, is sorrow that comes from recognising how ugly sin is, or from fear of punishment. The Catechism describes it as a gift of God and a real beginning. It does not by itself obtain forgiveness of grave sin, but it disposes a person to receive that forgiveness in the sacrament.

Perfect contrition is sorrow that arises from love of God above all else. The Catechism teaches that it remits venial sins, and that it obtains forgiveness of mortal sins as well, on one condition: that it includes the firm resolution to go to sacramental confession as soon as possible.

That condition is not a technicality and it is the part most often left out. A person who says they have perfect contrition but does not intend to confess has not, by that fact, made an act of perfect contrition. The resolution to confess is part of what perfect contrition is. Mortal sins still need to be confessed.

It is also worth saying that most people cannot tell which kind they have, and that this is normal. You are not required to diagnose your own motives before praying. Pray the prayer, go to confession, and leave the rest to God.

Praying It Outside Confession

The Act of Contrition is not only a confessional prayer. It is traditionally prayed at the end of the day as part of an examination of conscience, and it is prayed by anyone who becomes aware during the day that they have done something wrong and wants to say so straight away rather than carrying it.

At the End of the Day

Lord,
Before I sleep, let me look at today honestly.
For what I did that I should not have done, and for the good I left undone, I am sorry.
I am not going to explain it away.
Forgive me, and give me tomorrow to do better with.
Amen.

Questions People Ask

What is the Act of Contrition?

It is the prayer of sorrow for sin that a Catholic prays in confession, after receiving a penance and before absolution. It expresses three things: sorrow for what was done, the reason for that sorrow, and a resolution not to sin again with the help of God’s grace. It is also prayed outside confession, particularly at the end of the day.

What are the words of the Act of Contrition?

There is more than one approved wording. The form published by the USCCB begins “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins because of your just punishments.” The shorter form from the Order of Penance begins “My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.” Both are given in full on this page, along with an older American wording that many people learned as children.

Why does the Act of Contrition I learned sound different?

Because two English wordings are both in wide use. One says “because of your just punishments” and ends with a resolution to avoid the near occasions of sin. The other says “because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell” and ends with a resolution to confess, do penance and amend your life. Which you were taught depends on your parish and on the catechism you learned from. Neither is wrong.

When do you say the Act of Contrition in confession?

After the priest has given you a penance and before he gives absolution. Practice varies slightly between priests, and if you are unsure the priest will prompt you.

What is the difference between perfect and imperfect contrition?

Imperfect contrition comes from recognising the ugliness of sin or from fear of punishment. It does not by itself forgive grave sin, but it prepares a person to receive forgiveness in the sacrament. Perfect contrition comes from love of God above all else, and it obtains forgiveness of mortal sin, but only when it includes the firm resolution to go to confession as soon as possible. The mortal sin still has to be confessed.

Is there a short Act of Contrition?

Yes. The Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”, is listed among the forms a penitent may use. There is also a shorter form drawn from Psalm 51. Both are above.

What if I forget the words?

Say so, and express your sorrow in your own words. The prayer exists to express real contrition, and the wording is the vehicle rather than the thing itself. Priests hear this constantly and none of them will mind.

Is there an Act of Contrition for children?

There are several, and no single official one. Dioceses teach different wordings for First Reconciliation, and some teach the full traditional form even to young children. Two versions in common use are above. If your child is preparing for the sacrament, use whichever text their parish is teaching.

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