Act of Contrition

An act of contrition is a Christian prayer genre that expresses sorrow for sins. It may be used in a liturgical service or be used privately, especially in connection with an examination of conscience.

Special formulae for acts of contrition are in use in the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed Churches.

The Catholic Church does not restrict the term "act of contrition" to any one formula. Its Handbook on Indulgences mentions examples of approved formulas for an act of contrition the Confiteor, the Psalm De Profundis, the Psalm Miserere, the Gradual Psalms and the Penitential Psalms.

The Act of Contrition is part of the Sacrament of Penance and is prayed by the penitent after the priest assigns a penance and before he gives the penitent absolution. It is also customarily said especially before one goes to bed at night. It is generally supposed that individuals might have recourse to an Act of Contrition when they find themselves in extremis. Fulton Sheen recounts a story told of John Vianney. When a recent widow bemoaned the death of her husband who committed suicide by jumping off a bridge, Monsieur le Curé observed, "Remember, Madam, that there is a little distance between the bridge and the water." By this he meant that her husband had time to make an Act of Contrition. This is analogous to the well-known quote, "Between the stirrup and the ground, he something sought and something found," indicating that mercy is available when sought. (The original quote is from the sixteenth century English antiquarian William Camden; the more familiar version is from Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock.)

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