Penitential Rite

In Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, the Penitential Rite, also known as Confession and Absolution, is a form of general confession that takes place at the start of each Divine Service or Mass.

Usage in Roman Catholicism

In the ordinary form of the Roman Rite Mass

In the Latin Church of the Catholic Church the ordinary form of the Roman Rite Mass is the Mass of Paul VI. In the ordinary form, the Penitential Act is part of the Introductory Rites. It follows the greeting in the order of mass. The three formulas of the Penitential Act are:

The formula of absolution which concludes all three formulas is:

The Penitential Act is followed by the Kyrie eleison chant (unless the third of the three formulas, which incorporates the Kyrie, has been chosen as the Penitential Act), the Gloria (if used), and the Collect, which concludes the Introductory Rites.

If certain celebrations are combined with Mass, then the Penitential Act and other parts of the Introductory Rites are omitted or performed in a different way. An example is the Mass of Ash Wednesday, in which the Penitential Act is replaced by the blessing and imposition of ashes after the homily.