How far back must I go for Confession?

[Jeff_B]

My wife and I are closer than ever to dealing with the reality that it’s necessary to be part of the Catholic church. Although there are a number of issues we are grappling with (too many
to go into in one post), one I’m wondering about, is
when I go to my first confession, how can I possibly cover
all the sins I’ve commited? I’ve been baptized- hopefully valid-
since 1998; hopefully because the 'formula was correct,
but I’m not sure what the church’s view of baptism was.
I guess my question was, do I try and recap all the sins since
my baptism, or my life’s span of sins?

I know this may be another question but, with a list of questions
not necessarily related, do I just try and post to forums,
or are there phone numbers at Catholic Answers or CH network,
where some of these can be discussed?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear Jeff,

The Catholic Church accepts most Protestant baptisms. The confessor should know if yours is considered valid. So you probably would only need to mention the sins that you can remember from after that time. But you could make a general confession of sins from your whole life. This would be a very good thing to do. Of course, you can’t be expected to remember every sin. But you may be able to see connections that could be helpful in avoiding certain sins in the future.

As for questions here on the forum, you need to limit your topics to one per question. However, you may ask more than one by phone: 619 387 7200.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.