Does my son have to make his first Confession before his first Communion?
Recent instructions from the Vatican have said that the normal order of sacraments is Confession before Communion. It is not an absolute requirement, but is the norm.
A child who is old enough to receive the Eucharist is old enough to know right from wrong. It is good for a child who can do wrong – be naughty – to know that he or she can be forgiven. Confession or ‘the Sacrament of Reconciliation’ as it is known today, is the celebration of God’s forgiveness whatever wrong we have done.
If you or your child have a problem with frightening, dark confessionals, then the sacrament can be celebrated in any suitable room. Young children often find face to face confession more normal then hiding behind a grill.
