Penance (Confession)

What is Penance?

Penance — also known as Confession, Reconciliation, or the Ministry of Absolution — is the sacramental rite in which a baptised Christian confesses their sins to God in the presence of a priest, receives counsel and spiritual guidance, and is pronounced forgiven through the absolution proclaimed in Christ's name.

In the Anglican tradition, Penance is understood as a sacramental rite closely bound to Baptism. Baptism forgives the sins of the past; Confession is the provision God makes for those who fall after Baptism. It is an act of returning — a personal homecoming to the God who never stopped waiting.

The Anglican Understanding of Confession

The Anglican formularies hold that all necessary forgiveness of sin is given in Baptism, and that the absolution pronounced by a priest in the Church is a declaratory absolution — a solemn and authoritative pronouncement, in Christ's name and on his authority, that God has forgiven the penitent. The priest does not personally forgive sins; he declares the forgiveness of God.

The classic Anglican formula — drawn from the Book of Common Prayer — is instructive: Confession is available to all, required of none, and enjoined on those whose conscience is burdened and who cannot find peace through private prayer alone. The BCP's provision states that those who "cannot quiet their conscience" should come to a discreet and learned minister to receive absolution.

In the Diocese of False Bay, the Ministry of Absolution is offered by the clergy in private — either in formal Confession, or informally as part of pastoral counsel and prayer. General Absolution is also pronounced at every celebration of the Eucharist following the corporate Confession of sins.

The Parts of Confession

A sacramental Confession in the Anglican tradition involves several elements, each essential to the integrity of the rite:

Who May Make Their Confession?

Any baptised Christian who is troubled in conscience and desires the assurance of God's forgiveness may make use of the Ministry of Absolution. There is no requirement to have committed any particular kind or severity of sin — Confession is simply the regular, devotional use of God's gracious provision for those who need to hear the words of forgiveness spoken clearly and personally.

In the Anglican Church, private Confession is open to all and compulsory for none. Those preparing for First Holy Communion, Confirmation, or major holy days such as Easter are especially encouraged by many parish priests to make use of Confession as part of their preparation.

The Seal of Confession

The priest who hears a Confession is bound by an absolute and inviolable seal of secrecy — the sigillum confessionis. Nothing disclosed in the course of a sacramental Confession may ever be revealed by the confessor to any person, under any circumstances, for any reason whatsoever. This absolute confidentiality is essential to the integrity of the sacrament and the trust of the penitent.

This seal exists to protect the freedom and safety of the penitent before God. It is a longstanding provision of the Church, recognised in both canon law and the pastoral tradition of the Anglican Communion.

How to Make Your Confession

For those coming to Confession for the first time, or returning after a long absence, the following will help you prepare:

1. Speak to a priestContact your parish priest to arrange a time for Confession. Most clergy are happy to hear Confessions by appointment, and many offer regular Confession times — particularly during Lent and Advent.
2. Examine your conscienceBefore coming, spend time in quiet prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to bring to mind those sins of thought, word, deed, and omission for which you are truly sorry. It can help to use a printed Examination of Conscience as a guide.
3. Come and confessYou will meet with the priest in a private setting — often before the altar rail, in a side chapel, or in the vestry. After an opening prayer, you will confess your sins simply and honestly. The priest may offer counsel or a brief reflection.
4. Receive absolutionThe priest will pronounce the absolution over you. This is the moment of sacramental forgiveness — receive it with faith and gratitude.
5. Complete your penanceThe priest will give you a penance — usually a prayer or act of thanksgiving. Offer it sincerely as a sign of your gratitude and your intention to amend your life.

What to Bring

• A prepared and examined conscience — time spent in prayer beforehand, asking God to illuminate your heart
• An honest willingness to name your sins — specificity helps, but simplicity is always acceptable
• A genuine desire to be reconciled to God and, where necessary, to those you have wronged
• A prayer book if you find it helpful — many people use the Anglican Prayer Book's order for Confession

Confession and the Regular Life of Prayer

The regular use of sacramental Confession is one of the great disciplines of the Christian life. Anglican spiritual directors have long commended it — not as a burden, but as a means of grace that keeps the conscience clear, deepens self-knowledge, and opens the soul to God's transforming mercy.

Many Anglicans make use of Confession at the major seasons of the Church year — particularly in preparation for Easter and Christmas — while others come more frequently as part of their rule of life. There is no prescribed frequency; it is a matter for prayerful personal discernment in conversation with one's confessor.

General Confession in the Eucharist

Every celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Anglican Church includes a corporate Confession of sins and a pronouncement of Absolution by the presiding priest. This General Confession and Absolution is a genuine sacramental act — a real means of grace through which God forgives the sins of all those who confess with sincere hearts.

For most Anglicans, this corporate act is their primary regular participation in the Ministry of Absolution. Private Confession supplements — but does not replace — this communal dimension of the Church's penitential life.