I noticed that the word repentance never shows up in the text when addressing Yom Kippur. There are numerous times when it is noted that “atonement” will come but there seems to be no mention of repentance. Have I missed something altogether?

Your question is a good one. Consider this thought.

The essence of the day is atonement, as that is what God promises us. All we need to do is prepare ourselves for the connection available on that day. We do that by recreating ourselves as new people, as people who are not connected to our past misdeeds, who would not do them again had we had the faced the challenge once again. The focus is on atonement, that is positive energy, that is connection. The confession, regret, etc is negative energy, however necessary, and something that we do because we have to but that is not the glory of the day. The essence of Yom Kippur is one of ultimate connection. We wear white, fast, pray all day for that reason. Atonement gives that feel. Regret is necessary but only as a means not as an end.

Regards,
Yaakov Rosenblatt