Confession after 1st. Communion?

[Br.Rich_SFO]

C S P B:

I think it is a bad practice to not introduce children to the NORMAL form. I am trying to take being a father seriously and be a spiritual leader. I certainly cannot abdicate to a priest my responsibility to teach faith to my children. I have other reasons to support my assertion that my parish priest is a strong proponant of Catholic Lite.

For various reasons, changing parishes would be dificult. My children go to the parish school and my wife is very committed to this parish.

I am going to prepare a letter to send to the diocese, but I am interested on opinions on whether I am overreacting.

You are right on target. First Confession is a private event, however. A child should be prepared and offered the opportunity. They cannot be “required” to confess sins. So herding them together to a penance service, that is all right because of the communial aspect of all the Sacraments. Individual Confession however can take place at any time it does not need to be during the penance service and no one should know if you did or didn’t!

What is the point however of a Communial Penance Service without individual Confession being available? Venial sins are forgiven at the beginning of Mass and by other means.

You are correct that many people believe that individual Confession is not necessary if general absolution is given during a penance service.

 

[C_S_P_B]

Originally posted by Catholic2003
The “first confession” before “first communion” requirement that is being discussed in this thread applies only to cradle Catholics, that is, those who were baptized into the Catholic faith as infants.

For adult converts, this is not applicable. Instead, if the convert is unbaptized, then confession is not needed. Otherwise, if the convert has been previously baptized in another Christian denomination, then confession is required when the convert has committed a mortal sin subsequent to his or her baptism.

I am aware of this and agree. I had been baptized but was not told I needed to make a confession. How can I trust a priest to catechize my children if he failed to inform me properly. I simply used my example as a basis for questioning what is taught to all people in my parish with respect to the sacraments.

Originally posted by Catholic2003

Form 2 is a communal penance service, in which the opportunity for individual confession to a priest followed by absolution from that priest. Form 3 is general absolution, in which the priest absolves an entire group of people without first hearing individual confessions. Both forms work to forgive mortal sin. (However, the priest is probably committing a mortal sin himself by administering form 3. General absolution is to be used only in rare exceptional circumstances, such as when a group of soldiers is going into battle and there is no time for individual confession.)

Perhaps you are thinking of the “penitential rite” at the beginning of mass, which is fine as long as you have not committed a mortal sin. This is different than the sacrament of reconciliation.

I agree with you as to form 2. I still think it is important to guide everyone to use form 1 for their first confession. If we don’t train the children to make use of the sacraments in their normal preferred form, they will be less likely to make full use of them when they get older.

Form 3 reorders the 4 parts of reconcillination: contrition, confession, penance & absolution. If you are in a state of mortal sin, you still need to individually confess that at your next form 1 or 2 confession.

If form 3 were only used rarely, this would not be a problem, but some priests in some parishes make the extraordinary ordinary.

My understanding is mostly based on the Apostolic Letter MISERICORDIA DEI, (on Certain Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance), April 7, 2002 by John Paul II.

I also understand and agree with you on the “penitential rite”, and this was not what I was referring to in my first comments.

 

[bear06]

Catholic2003:

The canon law justification has nothing to do with custom. It can be found in post #11 of the thread I refered to above.

When I click on these links they refer back to this thread.

 

[a_pilgrim]

Timidity:

It seems perfectly clear to me children should almost* always have the sacrament of confession prior to their first communion.

*almost, because whenever you make a absolute statement online, someone always chirps in with the exception that makes you wrong

Hi, Timidity!

Just wanted to “chirp in,” as you say, and justify your “disclaimer”…

In the Byzantine Catholic Church, infants are received into the Church through the reception of the three Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) of Initiation - Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation) and Holy Eucharist - all on the same day! Obviously, these Catholic infants receive Holy Communion well before they are able to make their first confession.

I’m not trying to “make you wrong,” my friend… I just didn’t want to see you waste a perfectly good disclaimer!

a pilgrim

 

[Timidity]

a pilgrim:

In the Byzantine Catholic Church, infants are received into the Church through the reception of the three Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) of Initiation - Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation) and Holy Eucharist - all on the same day!

The same in the Western church for adults (which is everyone older then 7, I believe). In fact my teen-aged daughter is currectly preparing for her first confession, even though she’s received her first communion last year.

Another example would be a child in danger of death.

I’m not trying to “make you wrong,” my friend… I just didn’t want to see you waste a perfectly good disclaimer!

A disclaimer is a terrible thing to waste!

 

[Catholic2003]

bear06:

When I click on these links they refer back to this thread.

That is completely weird. Both links work fine for me.

Anyway, I am referring to a thread entitled “Help in Detroit.” started by netmil(name removed by moderator) on October 17, 2004, 01:34 PM, also in the Liturgy & Sacraments forum.

 

[Jkaim]

WOW, Thank you everyone for arming me with confidence and information. I contacted the Arch Dioseses of Detroit and they confirmed that children MUST have a first confession prior to taking first communion. They told me that there were some trials about 10 years ago with several churches having the cofession after communion, but that have since stopped them. I called back the DRE with this information and she said she will provide me with the 4 chapters on confession (which, by the way, comes from the 2nd grade catechist book) for me to review with my son and I can take him to confession privately. She did note to me though, that they have been doing the sacrements in this order for the past 8 years and I am the 2nd person to request confession first… Thanks again!

 

[kmktexas]

Congratulations!!!

You are truly blessed to have received such a quick and unequivical answer from the diocese. Enjoy your son’s Sacrament Days. I have a second grader this year too.

 

[thann]

Jkaim:

WOW, Thank you everyone for arming me with confidence and information. I contacted the Arch Dioseses of Detroit and they confirmed that children MUST have a first confession prior to taking first communion.

Well this is MOST excellent news, and perhaps I played a small part in this.

Three years ago I started a battle with my parish over this issue – not on my own behalf (my son had already received the sacrament some years before), but on behalf of other children of the parish. Three years ago I called the Archdiocese of Detroit and was brushed off – the person with whom I talked said, “Well, that’s the way many parishes are doing it.” She was the director of religious education for the Archdiocese! So, either personnel has changed, or they finally had enough complaints.

I continued with the battle, and my own parish, as of this year, is doing it correctly.

'thann

 

[Detroit_Sue]

I called the AOD just a few months ago about the same thing, and was told that the Cardinal sent out a letter instructing all the parishes of this, but they knew some priests were not obeying the directive. The Office of Catechetics said to me, “What are they going to do? Fire the priest?” In other words, they were no help at all. Thank God it’s only a handful of parishes doing this.