Dear Annie:

Welcome back to the Church. I praise God for your return.

Let me suggest your first step...

Make an appointment with your local parish priest for confession, or just show-up at the regularly scheduled time for confession in your parish.

When in the confessional tell the priest that you have been away for 45 years and wish to return to the faith and want to make a good confession. He will guide you from there.

You can cover the last 45 years. But remember, you only need to confess kind and number. Thus you do not have to recount each and every incident of sin, but just state the kind of sin and a guess of the number of times.

For example:

Father, forgive me for I have sinned. It has been 45 years since my last confession, and I wish to make a good confession and return to Mother Church.

In that 45 years I accuse myself of ....

1) fornication some 25 times
2) adultery about 5 times
3) lying so many times I cannot count
4) shoplifting more than 100 times
5) gossiping hundred or thousands of times
6) being away from the Sacraments for 45 years
7) etc., etc.

For these, and all my other sins which I cannot now remember, I am heartily sorry, firmly intend to do better, most humbly ask pardon of God, and of you, father, penance and absolution. Wherefore I beg Blessed Mary, all the Saints, all my comrades, and you, father, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

Then the priest will give you any counsel needed, perhaps read scripture, assign a penance, invite to you make an act of contrition, and then grant your absolution and bless you.

To help you to examine your conscience in preparation for confession here is a simple Guide 

Be not afraid. Think of it this way.... for 45 years you did not take a shower. Confession is the best and most cleansing shower you will ever have. Afterwards you will be a new woman.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary