Can I go to Confession?

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holdencaulfield

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Hello,

as many of you know I am Catholic, however non-Confirmed (not yet at least). I was wondering if I could receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation? Could I go to Confession all though I am not Confirmed. I know I can’t receive the the Holy Eucharist, however I can’t find anything that says I can’t go to Confession.

Thanks,

Holden.
 
Your priest can answer that best, but please clarify about being confirmed. You are baptized, but have not received your First Communion? I am assuming that you will receive Communion and Confirmation together? BTW, confession should, of course, be before First Communion.
 
holdencaulfield said:
Hello,

as many of you know I am Catholic, however non-Confirmed (not yet at least). I was wondering if I could receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation? Could I go to Confession all though I am not Confirmed. I know I can’t receive the the Holy Eucharist, however I can’t find anything that says I can’t go to Confession.

Thanks,

Holden.
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I know of no reason why not (assuming you were baptized in a Catholic Church), but consult with the priest who is instructing you for Confirmation and First Holy Communion - he will know where you are in your journey of Initiation, and whether it is appropriate for you to start going to Confession, yet.

Typically, baptized non-Catholic converts go for First Confession during the week just prior to Confirmation and First Holy Communion.
 
holdencaulfield said:
Hello,

as many of you know I am Catholic, however non-Confirmed (not yet at least). I was wondering if I could receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation? Could I go to Confession all though I am not Confirmed. I know I can’t receive the the Holy Eucharist, however I can’t find anything that says I can’t go to Confession.

Thanks,

Holden.
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If you were baptised Catholic you can (and probably should) go to Confession. If you’re baptized in some other denomination, there is nothing preventing but usually confession is before reception into the Church.

Will you be confirmed and received into the Church at the Vigil this year?
 
sphilomena said:
Your priest can answer that best, but please clarify about being confirmed. You are baptized, but have not received your First Communion? I am assuming that you will receive Communion and Confirmation together? BTW, confession should, of course, be before First Communion.
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Yes, I am only Baptized and not Catholic I might add, Episcopal. Yes I know I must go to Confession before that. However I haven’t even started a Confirmation class, I don’t until September.
 
AJV said:
If you were baptised Catholic you can (and probably should) go to Confession. If you’re baptized in some other denomination, there is nothing preventing but usually confession is before reception into the Church.

Will you be confirmed and received into the Church at the Vigil this year?
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No, next year. 😦
 
holdencaulfield said:
Yes, I am only Baptized and not Catholic I might add, Episcopal. Yes I know I must go to Confession before that. However I haven’t even started a Confirmation class, I don’t until September.
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Okay - so you are what the Church would call an “Inquirer” right now. Inquirers don’t go to Confession, yet.

You will most likely attend your First Confession during Holy Week of 2009, unless something happens to speed up the Initiation process, or unless you drop out in the mean time and decide that Catholicism is not for you, right now.

At that time, you will be instructed in how to say the prayers and how the ritual goes, so that when you go in with the priest, you will know what you are supposed to do.

Welcome to the journey!! May you be granted the grace of perseverance. 🙂
 
jmcrae said:
Okay - so you are what the Church would call an “Inquirer” right now. Inquirers don’t go to Confession, yet.

You will most likely attend your First Confession during Holy Week of 2009, unless something happens to speed up the Initiation process, or unless you drop out in the mean time and decide that Catholicism is not for you, right now.

Welcome to the journey!! May you be granted the grace of perseverance. 🙂
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Thanks.
 
I hope you’ll excuse hijacking your thread with a question of my own, holdencaulfield…

Is it common for people (at least, baptised) to wait so long (i.e. year) before formal reception in the US? Are people never received in the middle of the year?
 
Anyone can go to confession, including non-Catholics.

However, my understanding is that only those baptized in the Catholic Church may receive absolution of their sins.

My suggestion would be, if you want to go to confession, then examine your conscience and go. But, be sure to tell the priest at the outset that you are not yet a baptized Catholic.
 
AJV said:
I hope you’ll excuse hijacking your thread with a question of my own, holdencaulfield…

Is it common for people (at least, baptised) to wait so long (i.e. year) before formal reception in the US? Are people never received in the middle of the year?
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No problem, I first wanted to be Confirmed last year (2007) near Christmas. They told me to wait until September (2008) I don’t really know.
 
holdencaulfield said:
No problem, I first wanted to be Confirmed last year (2007) near Christmas. They told me to wait until September (2008) I don’t really know.
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The reason is that they had already started the classes for this year, and they probably felt that it would be too much for you to try to get caught up on all the homework.
 
jmcrae said:
The reason is that they had already started the classes for this year, and they probably felt that it would be too much for you to try to get caught up on all the homework.
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Probably, it might of been, but who knows?
 
AJV said:
I hope you’ll excuse hijacking your thread with a question of my own, holdencaulfield…

Is it common for people (at least, baptised) to wait so long (i.e. year) before formal reception in the US? Are people never received in the middle of the year?
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In extraordinary circumstances (like if someone has the educational background of someone like Scott Hahn, has been attending Mass every Sunday and following the disciplines of the Church for more than a year already, and has made a firm decision that they want to be Catholic, and know what that’s going to mean to them, personally) someone could be received into the Church early, but for most people, this happens at the Easter Vigil, or else at Pentecost, depending on the rules of that particular diocese. In our Diocese, everyone - both baptized and unbaptized - is received into the Church at the Easter Vigil, with very few exceptions. They are also looking at extending the process to two years rather than just one year, since even with the process being as long as it is, we still have people being caught by surprise by “all those rules” and leaving the Church shortly after being received.

It’s really important that people know exactly what they are getting into, ahead of time, because - yeah, there are a lot of rules. They also need time to build up the habits of life that are necessary to successfully live out the Catholic life. Showing up for Sunday Mass every week is only part of the deal.
 
holdencaulfield said:
Probably, it might of been, but who knows?
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Well, it seems like the most likely explanation, since you had already missed three and a half months of classes, and with Easter being so early this year, it was already more than half over.
 
holdencaulfield said:
Yes, I am only Baptized and not Catholic I might add, Episcopal. Yes I know I must go to Confession before that. However I haven’t even started a Confirmation class, I don’t until September.
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I was once in your exact situation. I was told by a priest that I could not go to confession. I think if you’re in real danger of death, a priest would come and do what was necessary - he’d confirm you, give you absolution, and offer you communion.

I know you must feel anxious and impatient about this, but pray about it and ask God to help you join the Church. It worked for me - I got confirmed within a few months of wanting to join the Church, even though I wasn’t able to attend RCIA classes.
 
holdencaulfield said:
No problem, I first wanted to be Confirmed last year (2007) near Christmas. They told me to wait until September (2008) I don’t really know.
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RCIA generally starts in September. Don’t be distressed. Use this time to pray, read, and learn. Attend Mass frequently. Read everything you can get your hands on. Find a friendly priest who will talk to you and advise you. If you’re in a city with lots of parishes, then you may be able to choose which parish to join in. You have time to find a good, orthodox parish that will have a good RCIA program.

By next Easter morning, you will be a Catholic and you’ll see that it was worth the wait!
 
AJV said:
I hope you’ll excuse hijacking your thread with a question of my own, holdencaulfield…

Is it common for people (at least, baptised) to wait so long (i.e. year) before formal reception in the US? Are people never received in the middle of the year?
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A baptized non-Catholic can be received into the Church whenever they’re deemed ready. They don’t have to wait until the Easter Vigil.

In part it depends on how catechized they are. Someone who was baptized but never learned anything about the faith is in a far different position from someone who was baptized and practiced their faith.
 
holdencaulfield said:
Hello,

as many of you know I am Catholic, however non-Confirmed (not yet at least). I was wondering if I could receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation? Could I go to Confession all though I am not Confirmed. I know I can’t receive the the Holy Eucharist, however I can’t find anything that says I can’t go to Confession.

Thanks,

Holden.
Click to expand...
Dear Holden,

Since you are a baptized Catholic above the age of reason, as long as you are properly catechized about sin, the necessity to confess in kind and number all mortal sins committed after baptism, and are prepared to make a good confession by making a thorough examination of conscience and are contrite for all of your sins, you have a right to the sacrament. In fact, I would argue that you are bound by the precept of the Church to confess one’s sins at least once a year, so make the necessary preparations and by all means, go!

God bless,

Fr. Boyd
 
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