Act of Contrition
Also known as: Actus contritionis
English Text
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. Amen.
Translation tradition: Traditional English (Baltimore Catechism)
Latin Text
Deus meus, ex tota mea corde paenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum,
eaque detestor,
quia peccando,
non solum poenas a te iuste statutas promeritus sum,
sed praesertim quia offendi te,
summum bonum,
ac dignum qui super omnia diligaris.
Ideo firmiter propono,
adiuvante gratia tua,
de cetero me non peccaturum
peccandique occasiones proximas fugiturum. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 51:3–4; Luke 15:18–19
When to pray: Required during the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession); recommended nightly as part of examination of conscience.
History & Background
Acts of contrition — expressions of sorrow for sin directed to God — have been part of Catholic devotional practice since the early Church. The specific form used today in the English-speaking world descends from formulas developed through the Council of Trent (1545–1563), which distinguished between perfect contrition (sorrow arising from love of God) and imperfect contrition or attrition (sorrow arising from fear of punishment), and decreed that perfect contrition, with the intention of confessing, suffices for reconciliation in cases of necessity. The traditional English form was codified in the Baltimore Catechism (1885) and remained normative in the United States through the 20th century. The Catechism of the Catholic Church treats contrition at §§ 1450–1453.
Related Prayers
Source
https://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html verbatim