About confession and RCIA

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I went to my first confession yesterday but it turns out that usually you’re only supposed to go after RCIA. Did I do anything wrong in going to confession before RCIA? I did not know that this was the rule when I went btw. I was baptized protestant
 
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If you are an unbaptized person there is no need to go to confession until after you complete RCIA and are brought formally into the Church. Baptism remits all sins and one is clean. After becoming Catholic then one must go to confession if in a state of mortal sin or at least once a year. It is encouraged to make a habit of going to confession more often even if one is not in a state of mortal sin.

We seem to be getting many questions on RCIA & going to confession.
 
What denomination, if you don’t mind me asking? Most are valid, a few aren’t.
 
I had my first confession well before I was brought in during Easter Vigil. I was told it was fine to go before since I was validly baptized and had a clear understanding of what the sacrament was.

Did you ask before you went? Did you tell the priest it was your first confession?
 
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I told him it was my first confession and he did explain to me what the sacrament was, altho I did much of my own research before hand
 
RCIA sign up isnt open at my church yet. I dont think it will be for a while
 
UwU said:
I told him it was my first confession and he did explain to me what the sacrament was, altho I did much of my own research before hand
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Given that he knew I wouldn’t worry about it.

Since you are already baptized you would normally go to confession before being received anyway. It sounds like maybe the issue is that you aren’t already in RCIA?

Baptized persons that are not yet received into the Church, but express the desire to are in a slightly weird place regarding receiving the sacraments. It’s part of the reason that the Church says that no greater burden/delay should be placed on receiving them as necessary.

In your situation I would approach the pastor and see if you can be received outside of the RCIA cycle at your parish. Strictly speaking there is no requirement for baptized non-Catholics to go through RCIA. In my local parish probably half of candidates go through RCIA and the other half receive private instruction from the pastor and are received various times throughout the year. At worse he will say no.
 
Absolution is available for Catholics only. Non-Catholics may often speak to a priest in the confessional or reconciliation room, but cannot absolve non-Catholics of sin.
 
annad347 said:
Isnt that given to us by God?
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Yes, but in the sacrament of reconciliation it is a positive act. By that we mean that Christ, acting through his priests, give us a definitive sign that we are forgiven. Without reconciliation we are just left to hope.

Catholics also beleive that through reconciliation we are strengthened through grace to avoid future sin.
 
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