Confirmed without Reconciliation

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Bluefin222

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I was confirmed into the Church through RCIA in 2003. I don’t know if I slipped through the cracks, so to speak, but I think I was confirmed without performing the Sacrament of Penance. Perhaps it was done in a group and I have forgotten, but I know I was not with the priest in private.

I would now like to go to confession so as to show proper reverence at the Eucharist. When the priest asks “when was your last confession,” will he be shocked when I say “never?” Will this call into question my status within the Church.

Thanks in advance for everybody’s feedback.
 
I"m surprised y ou’ve not gone to confession before now, but go as soon as possible and explain your situation to the Priest.

Don’t worry. He would have heard it before.

And the graces bestowed in Confirmation can “revive”, as theologians say–that is, take effect upon a good confession.

Just trust the Holy Spirit and follow the priest’s lead, and you’ll be ok.
 
Confession should be anonymous - or at least the option for anonymity given. For that reason if no other the priest shouldn’t know that you are someone who has been confirmed.

Anyways, every one of us has a first confession some time, for many people it happens in adulthood for different reasons. He won’t be shocked.

Were you baptised well before your confirmation or were they done around the same time? If they were done close together, then remember that the sacrament of baptism also procures the absolution of all sin committed prior, so it may’ve been thought you didn’t need Confession for that reason.
 
LilyM-

I was baptized as a baby in the Presbyterian church. The Catholic Church accepted my baptism as valid because I was baptized “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
 
It’s very likely that it was just overlooked that you hadn’t been to confession. Things can get hectic around Easter time when the RCIA class is getting ready to be confirmed. I know at my parish, they always remind people at that last meeting before the Vigil just because of situations like this.

Simply go to confession. It may be best to make an appointment so that you won’t be concerned about people waiting in line behind you. Remember too that you can go to any Catholic priest or parish, so find a time and place you are comfortable with for regular confession after this first time.
 
Bluefin222 said:
LilyM-

I was baptized as a baby in the Presbyterian church. The Catholic Church accepted my baptism as valid because I was baptized “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
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In this case you would have been obligated to go to confession before receiving the Eucharist. It may have been through no fault of your own that it did not happen; some RCIA programs are very lax about this.

You can easily remedy this now. Make a good examination of conscience (assisted by prayer to the Holy Spirit) and confess all serious sins you are aware of committing since your baptism. All serious (mortal) sins MUST be confessed. (If you honestly forget some that is OK, they are forgiven anyway; if you deliberately withhold a SERIOUS sin that invalidates the entire confession.) You can confess venial (less serious) sins if you want to; you might select those that give you the most trouble. But you are not obligated to confess venial sins. They are forgiven as long as you confess all your serious sins.

This first confession does not have to take more than a few minutes (you don’t have to go into excruciating detail, just name the sin, give an indication of how often you committed it, and move on). But if you think you will need extra time, make an appointment so you will not keep people waiting in line at scheduled confession time, and you will not feel rushed.

How wonderful, that you will finally experience the Sacrament of God’s mercy! I hope you will take advantage of it regularly from now on.
 
Bluefin222 said:
I was confirmed into the Church through RCIA in 2003. I don’t know if I slipped through the cracks, so to speak, but I think I was confirmed without performing the Sacrament of Penance. Perhaps it was done in a group and I have forgotten, but I know I was not with the priest in private.

I would now like to go to confession so as to show proper reverence at the Eucharist. When the priest asks “when was your last confession,” will he be shocked when I say “never?” Will this call into question my status within the Church.

Thanks in advance for everybody’s feedback.
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If you were Confirmed in a state of sin, unintentionally, since you were following their directions. You would have been validly Confirmed, but may not have benefited from the Sacrament. I would suggest going to Confesion and just explaining the situation to the priest. But you would still be a Confirmed Catholic.
 
And, just for logistics, instead of saying “it has been XXX since my last Confession,” you simply state, “This is my first Confession.”
 
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