Dear Mary:

When the priest absolved a person in the Sacrament of Confession, regardless of whether the contrition was perfect or imperfect, all sins are completely forgiven and the person restored to a complete State of Grace.

In either case you have given the person may go to purgatory. Purgatory is a place to purge the "temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven."

For example, if I throw a rock through my neighbor's window, that neighbor can forgive me, God can forgive me, but I still have a responsibility to repair the broken window (the consequence of my sin). If I do not fix (reparation) all the broken windows in my life by the time I die, and have not gained a plenary indulgence, then I must make those reparations in purgatory.

Purgatory also is a place in which our attachments to sin are purged. As the Catechism states (CCC 1472)

...every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin.

St. Paul teaches this in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 ~

12 Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble— 13 each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Bottomline, the kind of contrition refers to the motivation to offer the contrition. God accepts us either way and forgiveness is complete when absolved in the Sacrament of Confession.

Purgatory refers to the broken windows not fixed (reparation still due), and the attachments we have to sin.

Finally, the Catechism gives us the overall purpose of Purgatory:



III. THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR PURGATORY

1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire (Cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7):

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.

1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

 Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.

I hope this helps.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary