The General Confession is a prayer of
contrition in various
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...
s, including Anglicanism, Methodism, and Roman Catholicism.
Anglicanism and Methodism
In
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
, the "General Confession" is the
act of contrition in
Thomas Cranmer's 1548 order of Communion and later in the ''
Book of Common Prayer''.
In
Methodism, the General Confession is the same act of contrition in ''
The Sunday Service of the Methodists'' and Methodist liturgical texts descended from it. It is taught to probationary members seeking full membership in Methodist
connexions, being included in ''
The Probationer's Catechism''.
Roman Catholicism
As understood by
St. Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...
, General Confession is a form of
Confession whereby one spends 3 to 10 days preparing for a confession of all one's 'sins up to that time.' The main goal of the "general confession" is to turn one's life from one of sin to a more devout one. The ''
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
The ''Spiritual Exercises'' ( la, Exercitia spiritualia), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Societ ...
'' have done much to popularise this form of confession, with such a confession being the significant end-point of the First Week of his Spiritual Exercises.
St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction to the Devout Life, also addresses General Confession.
See also
*''
Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola''
*
Society of Jesus
*
Retreat (spiritual)
The meaning of a spiritual retreat can be different for different religious communities. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi communities.
In Hinduism and Buddhism, meditative retreats are ...
*
Manchurian revival
The Manchurian revival of 1908 was a Protestant Christian revival, revival that occurred in churches and mission stations in Manchuria (now Liaoning Province, China).
It was the first such revival to gain nationwide publicity in China, as well ...
(Protestant)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:General Confession
Spiritual retreats
Ignatian spirituality