CONFITEOR

This prayer is shaped by its grammatical structure. The repetitions of the saints’ names and the adjectives or titles which go with them, have different endings because of their differing grammaical functions in the two halves of the prayer. The first time round they are in the dative case, the form translated by ‘to + a noun’, because the verb is confiteor I confess, which like its English equivalent is not  followed by  a direct object, and so in Latin it is followed by an ending on the noun and adjectives equivalent to what in English is conveyed by the use of the preposition 'to.    

Confiteor     I confess

beatae  Mariae ..            . to-blessed Mary ,     

 beato Michaelo Archangelo ..  to-blessed Michael the-Archangel                         

sanctis  apostolis Petro et Paulo           to the holy apostlesPeter and Paul  

et omnibus sanctis          and to-all the saints

The second time round, the endings on the same names and titles are different. They are in the accusative case, indicating the object of the sentence, because the verb is now precor which, like its English equivalent to beseech is followed by a direct object. It is impossible to convey this in translation because the two languages are structurally so different from one another and the full effect depends on the varying endings on the Latin nouns and adjectives. The result is like a litany, but with variation, where the English simply repeats the first half.

Ideo precor  therefore I beseech          

beatam Mariam ...      blessed Mary                                                                                                                

beatum  Michaelum Archangel                    blessed Michael the  Archangel

sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum

et omnes sanctos

See if you  can spot the other variations

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti,                        I confess to Almighty God,

beatae Mariae semper Virgini,                   to Blessed Mary ever Virgin,

beato Michaeli Archangelo,                       to Blessed Michael the Archangel,

beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis                 to Blessed John the Baptist, to

Apostolis Petro et Paulo,                           the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,

omnibus Sanctis, et tibi pater:                     to all the Saints, and to you

quia peccavi nimis cogitatione                    father: that I have sinned

verbo, et opere: mea culpa,                        exceedingly in thought, word,

mea culpa, mea maxima culpa                   and deed; through my fault,,      

                                                                  through my fault

                                                                     through my most grievous fault;

Ideo precor beatam Mariam                  And so I ask blessed Mary                       

Semper Virginem,                                     ever Virgin etc

beatum  Michaelum Archangelum, 

Beatum Joannem Baptistam.     

sanctos Apostolos                          

Petrum et Paulum, omnes                

Sanctos, et te pater, orare pro               and you, father, to pray for me      

me ad Dominum Deum                          to the Lord our God.

nostrum.