My question has to do with Penance services, and the Act of Contrition/personal prayer of sorrow.
In circumstances where there is a good/great number of participants, could the penitent’s prayer of sorrow become part of the prayer service itself – (and accordingly left out of the actual Confession), so as to expedite the overall amount of time taken by individual confessions? Done this way, it could also make infrequent sacramental penitents feel less awkward during Confession itself. Comments?
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A: The penitent’s prayer of sorrow is already included in the liturgy exactly as you’d like it to be.
Look at the Order of Penance, second chapter, The Order for Reconciling Several Penitents. No. 54 says that all kneel “and together say a general formula for confession (e.g., I confess to almighty God.)” The Act of Contrition is another option for this general formula.
No. 55 says that afterwards the penitents go to a priest and confess their sins—there is no indication that they say an act of contrition at that time. They already have.