i. Greet the priest and then say the following words: ‘Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been _____ (days, weeks, months or years) since my last confession.’
ii. Then confess your sins as well as you can. (For the confession to be valid, the penitent must confess all of the mortal sins he or she is aware of having committed since the last confession, be sorry for them, and have a firm purpose of amendment to try not to commit the same sins in the future.)
iii. When you have finished confessing your sins, say the following Act of Contrition or another one that you know: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, 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 sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
iv. The priest will then absolve you from your sins.
v. Thank the priest and leave. vi. Do the penance given to you by the priest. Then say a prayer of thanksgiving.