Am I Missing Something?

[Sojourner]

OK, so last night I went to a reconciliation service at a parish other than my own. I am in RCIA, preparing for confirmation in a few weeks; I've already been baptized. When I went into confess, I told this to the priest, and he wouldn't hear my confession. He said I had to wait until after confirmation. I was fairly certain that I have to confess before confirmation; as I read it, that's what the catechism says (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.). Am I missing something here, or was this priest mistaken?

[BLAZEr]

The priest probably misunderstood you. If you are a baptized, and preparing to be Confirmed in the Catholic Church, then you do go to Confession before your Confirmation.

Just talk to your pastor about it, he will recommend someone you can go to Confession to, if you are not comfortable going to him. God Bless!

[Carson Weber]

Sojourner,

If you're a Catholic, then you can go to confession at any time, irregardless of whether you have been Confirmed.

If you're a Candidate for Full Communion, that is, a non-Catholic baptized Christian who is in RCIA in order to be fully reconciled to the Church, then it is the norm that you wait until just before the Easter Vigil to receive the Sacrament of Penance.

Even then, you can confess your sins to a priest as a non-Catholic Christian and receive spiritual guidance without receiving absolution from your sins from the priest.. my roommate (who will be received this Easter, by the grace of God) has done this.