Confession apps help walk you through the doors of mercy

Are you apprehensive about going to confession? Don’t be. Confession apps are ready to help make your experience in the confessional box less awkward and more transformative. It really is a most transformative and grace-filled adventure to go through the process of a good confession and enjoy the rich mercy promised by Our Lord.

This Jubilee Year of Mercy (December 8 2015- November 20, 2016) encourages believers to participate in and experience the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). Along with confessing our sins and receiving absolution, we may also receive a “plenary indulgence,” which lessens the effects of our sin here on earth. Pope Francis explains: “To gain an indulgence is to experience the holiness of the Church, who bestows upon all the fruits of Christ’s redemption, so that God’s love and forgiveness may extend everywhere. Let us live this Jubilee intensely, begging the Father to forgive our sins and to bathe us in his merciful ‘indulgence’” (MV).

Our recommended confession apps are designed to help you every step of the way in making a good confession.

Because the sacrament requires a sincere effort at an examination of conscience, the apps we selected for your consideration offer a variety of creative means of exploring yourself, your relationship with God and others and the various ways we rupture those relationships from time to time. First, a word of caution:

Apps of this nature are NOT meant to be a substitute for sacramental confession with a priest. 

Not convinced about the importance of this sacrament? Have questions about it? Forgot how to go to confession? Check out the list of resources linked below our app recommendations. Finally, yes, you can bring your mobile device into the confessional if it will help you to make a good confession. Go for it.

The Confession App ($.99) iOS , Android. Interactive features of this app help engage you in the process of making a good confession from examination of conscience to absolution. If you are new to the sacrament or have forgotten how to make a good confession, this app provides gentle and encouraging help every step of the way. It is designed to make the process easy for you by providing a comprehensive examination of conscience with large check boxes for items you wish to confess. Your choices (and any text you type in) get distilled into a separate Confession Guide for you to take into the confessional to walk you through everything you need to say including your Act of Contrition. Large font makes it easy to read in the low light setting.

Feel secure knowing no data is stored to the phone hard drive or to the internet. The really cool part? After confession, you get the satisfaction of being able to hit the “Erase My Sins” button and watch your check marked sins removed from the temporary cache in the phone or tablet–a technological symbol of what just happened to your soul! Users seem to enjoy that particular feature of this app. Catechism and scripture references are included. Here’s a video of the many features contained in this app.

Confession ($1.99) iOS and Android  A systematic aid to assist you in making a good confession, Confession is one of the top Catholic apps downloaded on iTunes and has even received a U.S. Bishop’s imprimatur. This app walks you through the sacrament with a fairly detailed examination of conscience based on the 10 Commandments. Tap a number next to each sin listed. From this selection process, a script (for lack of a better description) is offered which you may take into the confessional to read from–easy to do as your device is backlit. Everything in your script is in order, so you are assured that nothing important is missing and you don’t have to worry about memorizing prayers. Once you scroll through the script, all your listed sins are automatically wiped away (just as they are on your soul through this sacrament!) As an added assurance, the app is password protected to help maintain your privacy. It is regrettable that the listed sins are not categorized as “mortal” or “venial,” giving the impression that littering and murder are of equal gravity. It is presumed you know, and certainly your confessor will know. This app has been a finalist in Readers’ Choice Award for best Catholic app and a finalist in the Catholic New Media awards for best Catholic app.

Laudate  [Formerly “Catholic One“] (Free) iOS and Android. This all-in-one app contains an examination of conscience and preparation for confession. It contains a Confession App, daily examination of conscience and Examen podcasts from the Pray-As-You-Go. Steps walk you through the process of making a good confession complete with recommended prayers. Available in English, Español, Português, Italiano, Bahasa and Polski.

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Penance Project (Free) Android. This is a simple app centered on examining your conscience in preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). It focuses on the seven deadly sins and the 10 Commandments.

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Fr. Barron comments on the use of Confession apps

Video on how to go to Confession 

Making a Good Confession – detailed instruction

Fr. Z’s Tips for Making a Good Confession  – practical advice

Fr. Z offers an objective overview of confession apps in general and Mea Culpa app in particular–which is no longer available.

Why do I have to confess to a priest? (Fr. Barron answers in this video)