Two Catholic Church related questions:

Question 1: I like to give to charity and give to the Church as well. When I give money to my local Catholic high school or local Catholic hospital, am I giving to the Church? Or, is giving to the Church restricted to the weekly Sunday collection?

Question 2: If I can simply ask God for forgiveness of my sins through devout prayer, why do I need to go to the confessional? Please put a primer on the web site on how to go to confession. I haven’t gone for years and have a feeling that the answer to my question will prompt me to go.