Dilemma in RCIA

[suissemissed]

Okay, I have an interesting problem, and have as yet been unable to find any definite answers anywhere. I’m currently going through RCIA and will likely be received into the Church next Easter Vigil. I’m 95% certain that I was validly baptized when I was six years old. However, since I can’t present any proof of it, and because I myself am not fully certain, both my RCIA team and I agree that I will go through conditional baptism.

However, my parish only celebrates baptisms at the Easter Vigil mass, including conditional ones. Should I go to confession before my reception into the Church, or would conditional baptism suffice for a confession? Because, if my first baptism is valid (and thus, the conditional baptism has no effect), I don’t want to profane the Eucharist by taking it in a state of mortal sin. But at the same time, I don’t want to profane the sacrament of confession either, in the (albeit rare) case that my first baptism was not valid.

I’ve told my sponsor about the situation, and he said he would try to take care of it… But I’m still curious as to what everyone else thinks about the matter. Thanks!

 

[brianwalden]

I would talk to your priest about it. I don’t know what the correct answer, but your reasoning that since the baptism is conditional you should go to confession beforehand in case your original baptism was valid makes sense to me.

 

[Linda_Marie]

The practical method of reconciling heretics with the Church is as follows:-- If baptism be conferred absolutely, the convert is to make no abjuration or profession of faith, nor is he to make a confession of his sins and receive absolution, because the sacrament of regeneration washes away his past offences.

If his baptism is to be conditional, he must first make an abjuration of his errors, or a profession of faith, then receive the conditional baptism, and lastly make a sacramental confession followed by conditional absolution. If the convert’s former baptism was judged to be certainly valid, he is only to make the abjuration or the profession of faith and receive absolution from the censures he may have incurred (Excerpta Rit. Rom., 1878). The abjuration or profession of faith here prescribed is the Creed of Pius IV, translated into the vernacular. In the case of conditional baptism, the confession may precede the administration of the rite and the conditional absolution be imparted after the baptism. [and before Holy Communion so there is no chance of desecrating the Eucharist,] This is often done as a matter of fact, as the confession is an excellent preparation for the reception of the sacrament (De Herdt, VI, viii; Sabetti, no. 725).

newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm

 

[Shin]

I like that quote!

 

[streetpreacher]

conditional baptism doesn’t replace the original one, you are just as obligated to confession, and even if you were not, confession is still advised regardless., In fact, confession is good even if you aren’t even Catholic when it comes down to it., so why not utilize it now more so then ever…???

 

[Totterman]

Jesus,our Lords peace will be whit You.
I don’t know the ansver either,but talk to Your priest. I don’t know how it works where You live,but her in Finland we get a confirmation after we been babtised or not. I wos born Luterehnian,and I had to show that document before I converted,my first confession wos a day or two before I became a catholic,but You may have a other way there,so speak to Your priest. And welcome to Gods Church.

 

[autdrew]

When I went through RCIA, I also didnt have proof of my baptism (aside from my 8 yr old memory). I had to have some witnesses fill out an affidavit & send it in & my baptism was recognized as valid. Unfortunately, I didnt think of the confession question & didnt go until after Easter Vigil Good Luck & Best Wishes!

 

[rick43235]

I would talk to your priest about it. I don’t know what the correct answer, but your reasoning that since the baptism is conditional you should go to confession beforehand in case your original baptism was valid makes sense to me.

Just make sure the priest who hears your confession knows that it’s a conditional confession.

 

[thomas_jd]

Okay, I have an interesting problem, and have as yet been unable to find any definite answers anywhere. I’m currently going through RCIA and will likely be received into the Church next Easter Vigil. I’m 95% certain that I was validly baptized when I was six years old. However, since I can’t present any proof of it, and because I myself am not fully certain, both my RCIA team and I agree that I will go through conditional baptism.

However, my parish only celebrates baptisms at the Easter Vigil mass, including conditional ones. Should I go to confession before my reception into the Church, or would conditional baptism suffice for a confession? Because, if my first baptism is valid (and thus, the conditional baptism has no effect), I don’t want to profane the Eucharist by taking it in a state of mortal sin. But at the same time, I don’t want to profane the sacrament of confession either, in the (albeit rare) case that my first baptism was not valid.

I’ve told my sponsor about the situation, and he said he would try to take care of it… But I’m still curious as to what everyone else thinks about the matter. Thanks!

Go to a “conditional confession” as soon as possible!
Ask a priest what is proper not this website.

 

[dconklin]

Doesn’t Baptism wash away all sin? Original and all personal?

 

[brianwalden]

Doesn’t Baptism wash away all sin? Original and all personal?

Yes. The question is a person who may have been baptized when they were young but aren’t sure if it was valid. Because you cannot be baptized twice they will be conditionally baptized - I think the formula goes something like “If you are not already baptized, I baptize you in the name of…” If the first attempt at baptism was invalid, then the conditional one removes all sin. If the original baptism was valid, then then the person will need to confess any sins since then. From what the others have said it seems there is such a thing as a conditional confession for just such a situation.

 

[dconklin]

Thanks Brother Knight for making that much clearer for us.

BTW - I will be joining the 4th Degree of our Order next month!

 

[diggerdomer]

Okay, I have an interesting problem, and have as yet been unable to find any definite answers anywhere. I’m currently going through RCIA and will likely be received into the Church next Easter Vigil. I’m 95% certain that I was validly baptized when I was six years old. However, since I can’t present any proof of it, and because I myself am not fully certain, both my RCIA team and I agree that I will go through conditional baptism.

However, my parish only celebrates baptisms at the Easter Vigil mass, including conditional ones. Should I go to confession before my reception into the Church, or would conditional baptism suffice for a confession? Because, if my first baptism is valid (and thus, the conditional baptism has no effect), I don’t want to profane the Eucharist by taking it in a state of mortal sin. But at the same time, I don’t want to profane the sacrament of confession either, in the (albeit rare) case that my first baptism was not valid.

I’ve told my sponsor about the situation, and he said he would try to take care of it… But I’m still curious as to what everyone else thinks about the matter. Thanks!

If your parish is treating you as non-baptized, then no, you should not (and do not need to) go to confession. As has been said, talk to the priest/parish staff. They are the only ones who can really definitively help.

 

[diggerdomer]

Go to a “conditional confession” as soon as possible!
Ask a priest what is proper not this website.

There is no such thing in the Catholic Church as a “conditional confession.” So that is not an option.

 

[suissemissed]

"diggerdomer:

If your parish is treating you as non-baptized, then no, you should not (and do not need to) go to confession. As has been said, talk to the priest/parish staff. They are the only ones who can really definitively help.

They’re not really treating me as unbaptized… they recognize there’s a strong likelihood that my original baptism was valid - but they’re classifying me (for now) as a catechumen since I will technically be receiving conditional baptism around the Easter Vigil. But I think they recognize that I probably am, in fact, a candidate.

There is no such thing in the Catholic Church as a “conditional confession.” So that is not an option.

Other people have told me the opposite… Here’s a post by Michelle Arnold that mentions conditional absolution. And here’s a quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia’s article on absolution, taken from a section called “Conditional absolution”: “The doctrine commonly received is that whenever conditional absolution will safeguard the holiness and dignity of the Sacrament it may be employed, or whenever the spiritual need of the penitent is clear, but at the same time dispositions necessary for the valid reception of the Sacrament are in doubt, then it would be a mercy to impart absolution even if under condition.”

It looks like I won’t be needing “conditional absolution” anyways, because my parish staff has discussed it more and decided I need to be baptized outside of the Easter Vigil Mass and then given a normal confession. Thanks everyone for your answers!

 

[Aramis]

Doesn’t Baptism wash away all sin? Original and all personal?

But baptism is not repeatable. Therefore, if the OP was validly baptized, the conditional baptism is purely commemorative, not sacramental.

It guarantees that, at some point, the OP will have been baptized, and have proof of it, but it can’t be guaranteed to be a valid baptism, because if the original was valid, the conditional can’t be, but if the original wasn’t, then the conditional is.

 

[GwenL]

I had a similar problem but the timing was slightly different. While I was in RCIA, my (elderly) father said that I had not been baptized as a child. I never sought baptism past the age of reason. Based on that, I was baptized at Easter Vigil. About a month after Easter Vigil, my dad thought, based on some old memories surfacing, that I might have been baptized as an infant. This, in and of itself, did not present a problem, since I sought the Easter Vigil baptism with good intentions based on the information I had. But if I had been baptized as an infant, the Easter Vigil baptism would not absolve me of any sins. In that case, I would still have needed to confess 45+ years of less than stellar living. According to the priest I was working with after baptism, I would have needed a conditional confession; it’s conditional because you can’t receive the sacrament of confession until you’ve been baptized. This would have been followed by a conditional baptism. Then Confirmation.

I was also worried about receiving the Eucharist with the 45+ years of sins on my soul, if I had been baptized as an infant and the Easter Vigil baptism had no effect. However, I had gone to confession one week after Easter, and every one-two weeks after that, so these confessions covered me. I did a general confession of my entire life when we discovered this problem, which really covered all the bases.

Bottom line: talk to your priest.

 

[DanteAlighieri]

Okay, I have an interesting problem, and have as yet been unable to find any definite answers anywhere. I’m currently going through RCIA and will likely be received into the Church next Easter Vigil. I’m 95% certain that I was validly baptized when I was six years old. However, since I can’t present any proof of it, and because I myself am not fully certain, both my RCIA team and I agree that I will go through conditional baptism.

However, my parish only celebrates baptisms at the Easter Vigil mass, including conditional ones. Should I go to confession before my reception into the Church, or would conditional baptism suffice for a confession? Because, if my first baptism is valid (and thus, the conditional baptism has no effect), I don’t want to profane the Eucharist by taking it in a state of mortal sin. But at the same time, I don’t want to profane the sacrament of confession either, in the (albeit rare) case that my first baptism was not valid.

I’ve told my sponsor about the situation, and he said he would try to take care of it… But I’m still curious as to what everyone else thinks about the matter. Thanks!

Talk to your pastor. I would guess he would recommend proceeding as if your baptism were not valid, in which case you would be one of the catechumens who is baptised as well as confirmed and given the Eucharist on Easter. In other words, you’ll follow the RCIA schedule as pertains to your first confession and communion.

Peace,
Dante

 

[Pitcharan]

conditional baptism doesn’t replace the original one, you are just as obligated to confession, and even if you were not, confession is still advised regardless., In fact, confession is good even if you aren’t even Catholic when it comes down to it., so why not utilize it now more so then ever…???

It is best to vomit poison as soon as it has entered our system. Other methods like “extreme unction” are only the last resort

 

[Pitcharan]

… But at the same time, I don’t want to profane the sacrament of confession either, in the (albeit rare) case that my first baptism was not valid…

The sacrament of confession will not be profaned at all in any case. Even a non-christian may confess. MAKE SURE YOU CONFESS AND EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF ABSOLUTION