First Confession before or after confirmation?

[CurtisHouse]

I have been baptized in the past from a previous protestant church and it is valid. I am currently taking a class for practicing Catholics who have not been confirmed. This class will be ending in September at which time I will do my profession of faith and get confirmed into the Church. I have scheduled an appointment with a Priest at the parish I attend to do my first confession. I always thought that you did your first confession before your confirmation. I was speaking with somebody that is a catechism teacher at this TLM I have went to in the past. She was saying that you need to be confirmed first before your first confession. She cited Canon Law 844.1 and also gave me this link. http://canonlawmadeeasy.com/2017/06...kA8EltuccP-hsYywpmYcEyaXhrBRPmIzHRiGhjCm16SMU From people I’ve talked to, it seems the unanimous consensus is that first confession comes shortly (usually days) before your confirmation. Where do you stand on this and have you heard of people saying that you must first be confirmed before you can do the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Edit: What makes this even more puzzling is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church plainly states in paragraph 1310.

“To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace. One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strength and graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act.”

 

[Phemie]

Baptism is the gateway to the other sacraments. Once you have committed to being received into full communion it’s my understanding that you confess before making your profession of faith and being confirmed. The Catechism section you have quoted makes that clear.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

The lady you spoke to and what she cited is generally correct in that non-Catholics can’t go to confession EXCEPT in your case — you get one “first confession” prior to your reception into the Church (profession of faith and confirmation). That isn’t well-stated in the article, but it is clear in all of the Church’s official documents and law concerning a non-Catholic Christian entering full communion. As @Phemie confirmed, your reading of the Catechism is correct.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

I’ll go one step further. Her quoting Canon 844.1 was really irresponsible and somewhat ignorant on her part. That Canon (see actual text here) means that only validly ordained clergy may administer sacraments and (where she’s partially correct) only Catholics may [normally] receive them (but the Canon primarily deals with regulating clergy, not laypersons).

However, Canon 889.2 states that those receiving Confirmation must be “properly disposed” which also implies being in a state of grace.

As a general rule, Canon Law governs those who are fully inside the Church, not those at the door on their way in, so there’s little reference to RCIA, etc. There are a couple of brief mentions of rights afforded to catechumens, for instance, but there’s almost nothing else mentioned that would prohibit your confession prior to confirmation, as it’s simply an area where the law is silent (or better yet, presumes everyone already understands).

 

[thistle]

You do not need to be confirmed before having your first Confession.
I was in the RCIA program and our first Confession was the day before we became Catholics. In my case becoming a Catholic did not involve baptism as I was a validly baptised Methodist.
Our RCIA group was confirmed 6 months after we became Catholics.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

One should definitely go to confession before Confirmation.

Now in the Byzantine Tradition, we get confirmed as babies immediately after Baptism.

 

[Dovekin]

The RCIA paragraph 482 directs Christians (baptized persons) to make a confession of sins before being received into full communion or confirmed.

More broadly, the first rite of the RCIA that uncatechized baptized persons receive should be the Rite of Welcome. This signifies a welcome into the Church that will be completed with full communion. I sometimes say it means you can be buried as a Catholic, but it is more significant than that unlikely event. It means you have made a committment to the Church and the Church to you. The last phase of preparation is penitential, and catechists are supposed to prepare you for the sacrament of penance before your reception.

Penance was sometimes called “a second baptism” because it brought a forgiveness of sins like baptism. As an echo of your baptism, it is a proper oreparation for receiving Confirmation and the Eucharist.