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1765 Regina Begin the Thirty Days

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An examination of conscience for women.

The commandments, the precepts of the Church and the capital sins, asked of a woman’s real life, then the steps of confession. Nothing you tap is ever saved.

What this is

An examination of conscience is the quiet look back before confession: what have I done, and failed to do, before God and the people He has given me? The old Baltimore Catechism put the method in one sentence:

We can make a good examination of conscience by calling to memory the commandments of God, the precepts of the Church, the seven capital sins, and the particular duties of our state in life, to find out the sins we have committed.
Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (1885), Q. 193

This tool follows that order. Every woman examines the Ten Commandments, the precepts of the Church and the capital sins, and at the standard and deep levels the works of mercy too. Then the questions of her own life are added: as a wife, a mother, a single woman, a widow, or a woman who is consecrated or discerning. Choose every state that is yours.

How to use it

  1. Choose a depth. Quick is about fifteen questions, for the line at the confessional. Standard is about forty-five, for a regular confession. Deep is about eighty, for a confession after a long time, a retreat, or a general confession your confessor suggests.
  2. Pray first. The examination opens with Psalm 50 and a short prayer to the Holy Spirit.
  3. Tap what is yours to confess. Each question shows where it comes from: a paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (linked to vatican.va), the Douay-Rheims Bible, or the Baltimore Catechism.
  4. Review your list. Each marked question becomes a short, plain sentence you can say to the priest. Add anything in your own words. Print a small card if it helps, then tear it up afterwards.
  5. Go. The guide walks you through the confession itself. When you are home, mark the day: only the date is kept.

What is kept, and what never is

What you tap, and anything you type, lives only in this page’s memory. It is never written to your device’s storage, never included in an export, never synced, and never sent to us or to anyone. It is gone the moment you leave the tool, close the page, or tap Clear. The tool keeps only dates (the days you examined and the days you went to confession) and your settings, so it can show your rhythm of confession. They stay on this device, and go into your export or your encrypted Regina Key copy only if you use those. See our privacy page and your data.

If you struggle with scruples

Some women suffer from scrupulosity: the fear of having sinned where they have not, and the doubt that a confession was enough. Turn on I struggle with scruples and the examination stays short, with a few rules to rest in first. St Ignatius of Loyola calls a true scruple the thought that you have sinned while you also feel you have not, leaving you unsettled, and he names it a temptation; the tender soul, he writes, should settle in the middle way so that it can be at peace (Spiritual Exercises, notes on scruples, tr. Mullan, 1914). Our own counsel: choose one confessor, tell him, and follow his direction about what to confess.

If someone has hurt you

You confess your own sins, not what anyone did to you. If someone in your home hits you, threatens you, controls you, or makes you afraid for yourself or your children, that is not a cross to carry in silence. In danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline answers at 1-800-799-7233, day and night. If you have thought of ending your life, call or text 988 now. The tool opens these steps from a quiet button wherever they belong.

How to go to confession

  1. Before: ask the Holy Spirit for light, examine your conscience, be sorry, and resolve with God’s help to turn away from your sins.
  2. Begin: make the Sign of the Cross and tell the priest how long it has been since your last confession.
  3. Confess: tell your sins simply. Every mortal sin you remember after an honest examination, and have not confessed before, must be confessed, by kind and number as well as you can; it is good to confess venial sins too (Code of Canon Law, can. 988).
  4. Listen to any counsel, and accept your penance.
  5. Pray the Act of Contrition when the priest invites you.
  6. Receive absolution. The prayer ends with the form of the sacrament, in the Church’s Latin Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti: word for word, I absolve thee from thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Answer: Amen.
  7. After: do your penance soon, and give thanks.

The Act of Contrition

O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Baltimore Catechism (1885), public domain

Questions women ask

Is anything I tap saved?

No. Only dates and your settings are kept: on your device, and in your export or encrypted sync if you use them. What you mark is held in memory while the page is open and dropped when you leave it.

Do I have to confess venial sins?

Mortal sins must be confessed; confessing venial sins is not strictly required but is warmly recommended by the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1458; Baltimore Catechism No. 2, Q. 209).

What if I forget a sin?

If you forget a mortal sin without any fault of your own, your confession is still good and the sin is forgiven; if it comes back to mind, mention it in your next confession (Baltimore Catechism No. 2, Q. 215).

How often should I go?

The Church requires every Catholic who has serious sins to confess them at least once a year (Code of Canon Law, can. 989). The Baltimore Catechism’s counsel goes further: confess frequently, if you wish to lead a good life (Q. 398).

Sources

The questions themselves are written in our own words for 1765 Regina. The prayer before the examination is a prayer composed for 1765 Regina; every other prayer is traditional and public domain. For the end of each ordinary day, see the Daily Examen.