Can I got to confession

[Carjack1]

I am a baptized Catholic, can I go to confession? I never got my other sacraments done.

 

[bpbasilphx]

You might want to talk with the pastor first. It sounds like this is your first confession, though I may be misunderstanding you.

 

[Carjack1]

You might want to talk with the pastor first. It sounds like this is your first confession, though I may be misunderstanding you.

You are correct. It would be my first confession.

 

[toaslan]

You are correct. It would be my first confession.

Then it is best to first speak to a priest, though I do not know that you couldn’t just get in line and enter the confessional when it is your turn (call ahead for the confession schedule or stop by the church and pick up a copy of the Sunday bulletin).

You may hit a bump when you begin your confession, because it goes like this:

Priest: (silently opens the little sliding door, or just sits there waiting for you to speak if you are going face-to-face")

You: "Bless me father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession (after this first one, you instead say at this point, bless me father, for I have sinned. It has been 3 weeks since my last confession or whatever…)

Priest: "Your first confession? Well, are you baptized? Where? When? By whom? Do you have your baptismal certificate on you? Are you still a member of your baptismal parish? If so, why are you not presenting yourself there for your First Confession? Do you know what it takes to make a valid confession? Yes, so what does it take?

You: dang

See, you just need to see the priest first to answer all such questions to his satisfaction. It need not mean you sign up as a member of his parish–but there are paperwork details as well as catechism details to be settled before you make your first confession.

You want it to be a good and a valid confession, right? So you need to set yourself up for success.

If there is some urgency to this, then by all means contact a priest today, tell him of the urgency, and he will rush it for you. He can always get the relevant paperwork lined up later; it can happen today if indicated.

It will be a wonderful event for you, to make your first confession–you will be washed clean by Jesus through the priest, forgiven completely, and can make a new start.

So I encourage you to follow up this project!

 

[vern_humphrey]

Go in, kneel down, make the Sign of the Cross and say, “Bless me, father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.”

It’s no big thing – if the priest wants information, he’ll ask. He won’t expect you to have your baptismal certificate on you, nor will he expect you to still be a member of the parish where you were baptized.

 

[CentralFLJames]

I agree that you want to call the rectory and schedule a face to face meeting and get caught up on some basics. You don’t want to go in blind to the confessional and then be embarrassed or if the priest is surprised and taken off guard. That will distract from the purpose - to have a good confession free of any other pressures, or concerns of protocol etc.

If you go in to meet the priest he can advise you on how to get into some religious training to get you caught up on teachings that you probably have not yet had. Impress upon him that you are really anxious to get in a state of grace again and he may do it for you right there in person.

In the interim, examine your conscience and recollect your sins. Ask God to give you the grace to make a perfect confession then say the act of contrition with the intention of going to confession as soon as you can resolve the specifics. This will give you peace of mind that you are covered spiritually if something were to happen to you. You can also then ask Jesus to grant you a spiritual communion with this simple prayer. Since it is a prayer request there is no danger of receiving the sacraments unworthily since Jesus will not grant your request if it would be inappropriate to your spiritual state.

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

Good Luck - and welcome back to participation in The Church.
Try to make a genuine attempt at sincere regret/sorrow for your past sins and focus on changing your life and repenting.

James