The Confiteor is a beautiful prayer said at the beginning of Mass in the Roman Rite. It is the Act of Penance stipulated by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. It is a formal general confession the entire congregation recites. In the traditional Latin Mass, the Confiteor was recited twice; once by the priest for himself and then the servers would say it on behalf of the people (the congregation would pray it in silence). Many priests choose a different, approved formula but for centuries the Confiteor was the standard penitential prayer at the beginning of Mass.