When is my first confession?

[jmcrae]

Hello all. I am in RCIA and we were told that confirmation would be sometime in February. The whole process is rather unclear to me. I have also been told that my first communion would be during Easter vigil. When do I go to confession? I don’t want to go to my home Parish Priest because I have a lot of years of sins built up, some mortal. I want to clear them up with God out of town. My RCIA teacher doesn’t seem to know either. I want to get it over with asap and clear my soul.

It will be at some point during Lent, before your Confirmation. If nothing has been scheduled for you, you will be free to make your own arrangements. Unfortunately there are some RCIA coordinators who don’t believe that First Confession is all that important, and they don’t make arrangements for it.

Confirmation for adult converts normally takes place at the same Mass when you receive your First Holy Communion.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

It will be at some point during Lent, before your Confirmation. If nothing has been scheduled for you, you will be free to make your own arrangements. Unfortunately there are some RCIA coordinators who don’t believe that First Confession is all that important, and they don’t make arrangements for it.

Confirmation for adult converts normally takes place at the same Mass when you receive your First Holy Communion.

It is not up to “RCIA coordinators” ordinaries are required to adhere to the licit aspects of sacraments. For example we simply have confession that morning during a walk through rehearsal. Typically team members, sponsors, etc. also go. We even encourage the catechumens to go though technically they cannot receive absolution. We find catechumens need the training concerning the sacrament.

 

[Justin_Mee]

It will be at some point during Lent, before your Confirmation. If nothing has been scheduled for you, you will be free to make your own arrangements. Unfortunately there are some RCIA coordinators who don’t believe that First Confession is all that important, and they don’t make arrangements for it.

Confirmation for adult converts normally takes place at the same Mass when you receive your First Holy Communion.

We were told that it would not be at our home parish but at the Bishop’s cathedral for the anointing, confirmation and communion. I doubt that the Bishop is planning on hearing my transgressions.

 

[puzzleannie]

the reason many parishes have the candidates make their first confession shortly before the Mass of the confirmation and first communion, is the natural assumption that if one confesses, say in January, it is quite likely, human nature being what it is, that one will probably need confession again before April or May, or whenever the sacraments are received, and without a planned service of some kind, they may not get it. I repeat however if a candidate feels a strong need and is ready to do so he can confess to any priest in any parish now, and he should tell that priest the circumstance–I am a candidate preparing for confirmation and full communion at Easter, and this is my first confession. It would be a very good idea for a number of reasons to go again before confirmation, especially in the service planned for your class, and of course mandatory if you should have the misfortune to fall into mortal sin before that time.

Many parishes here also schedule the marriage convalidation the morning of confirmation, followed by confession, so as not to leave any doubt that any sin arising from the irregular marriage situation has been absolved before receiving the other sacraments.

 

[Justin_Mee]

I repeat however if a candidate feels a strong need and is ready to do so he can confess to any priest in any parish now, and he should tell that priest the circumstance–I am a candidate preparing for confirmation and full communion at Easter, and this is my first confession. It would be a very good idea for a number of reasons to go again before confirmation, especially in the service planned for your class, and of course mandatory if you should have the misfortune to fall into mortal sin before that time.

But how can a non-catholic be given absolution? I am a non-catholic until confirmation, right? Anyway, I just called my RCIA instructor and he said the Feb event was an anointing right and not confirmation. I guess it will all work out.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

But how can a non-catholic be given absolution? I am a non-catholic until confirmation, right? Anyway, I just called my RCIA instructor and he said the Feb event was an anointing right and not confirmation. I guess it will all work out.

You are catholic, you are not yet “in communion”. The primary requirement is a profession of faith to make you eligible for absolution. Some would accept the attending of RCIA and or the seeking absolution, and or the Rite of Welcoming, etc as that profession. Other priests may ask you to repeat the standard profession ( as you will at confirmation) “I believe in all the catholic church teaches to be the true word of god” A profession of faith with a Trinitarian baptism and your are good to go, so go.

 

[mswood]

But how can a non-catholic be given absolution? I am a non-catholic until confirmation, right? Anyway, I just called my RCIA instructor and he said the Feb event was an anointing right and not confirmation. I guess it will all work out.

Probably what he is refering to is the Rite of Continuing Conversion and Election, this is usually held the first Sunday of Lent. My RCIA group are also having a Rite of Sending that day at our home parish and then that afternoon we are having teh Rite of Continuing Conversion and Election at the cathedral with the Bishop.

 

[mswood]

But how can a non-catholic be given absolution? I am a non-catholic until confirmation, right? Anyway, I just called my RCIA instructor and he said the Feb event was an anointing right and not confirmation. I guess it will all work out.

Probably what he is refering to is the Rite of Continuing Conversion and Election, this is usually held the first Sunday of Lent. My RCIA group are also having a Rite of Sending that day at our home parish and then that afternoon we are having teh Rite of Continuing Conversion and Election at the cathedral with the Bishop.

 

[puzzleannie]

But how can a non-catholic be given absolution? I am a non-catholic until confirmation, right? Anyway, I just called my RCIA instructor and he said the Feb event was an anointing right and not confirmation. I guess it will all work out.

As I said, baptized candidates for full communion with the Catholic Church must confess before confirmation and first communion. I am quite sure your RCIA director has a plan for preparing you and providing this opportunity for confession for you and the other candidates. My only point is that you do not have to wait for that if you feel strongly you wish to confess sooner.

Please keep asking your director for an answer that applies to your specific case, and make sure he understands your status when you ask (baptized non-Catholic). There should not be any anointing rite for you, although the catechumens may in an optional right be anointed at various times during their preparation. He may have been giving you a general answer, not specific to you. Generally we prefer to explain what is going to happen, in order, just before it happens, when it is time to prepare you, because if we gave you all the information in one lump sum it gets very confusing.

 

[jmcrae]

But how can a non-catholic be given absolution? I am a non-catholic until confirmation, right? Anyway, I just called my RCIA instructor and he said the Feb event was an anointing right and not confirmation. I guess it will all work out.

You are going to receive the Call to Continuing Conversion from your Bishop during the first weekend of Lent - at that point, you can begin to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Church - you are no longer considered a “non-Catholic” but as a Catholic who has not yet received all of his Sacraments of Initiation.

 

[Justin_Mee]

You are going to receive the Call to Continuing Conversion from your Bishop during the first weekend of Lent - at that point, you can begin to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Church - you are no longer considered a “non-Catholic” but as a Catholic who has not yet received all of his Sacraments of Initiation.

Thank you. That sounds reasonable to me. I was concerned about the timing of Reconciliation and how it was going to work.