I confess to almighty God

The penitential prayer of the Mass, in Latin.

Prayed at the beginning of Mass and, traditionally, at Compline each night. It is the Church’s general confession — an admission of sin in thought, word, deed and omission, made to God and in front of everyone present.

In Latin

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti,
et vobis, fratres,
quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere et omissione:
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem,
omnes Angelos et Sanctos,
et vos, fratres,
orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. Amen.

In English

I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do:
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault.

Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.

About This Prayer

At mea culpa the breast is struck three times. Note that the confession is made to the congregation as well as to God — sin is never entirely private, and the Church has us say so out loud before we do anything else at Mass.