Q: Should an unbaptized catechumen celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to Easter Vigil?
A: An unbaptized person cannot celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation—or any sacrament—until they have been baptized. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1213:
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.”
Baptism is the doorway to all the other sacraments. Yet this does not mean that we shouldn’t help the catechumens live a penitential lifestyle before their baptism. Click here to learn how to teach catechumens the real meaning of penance.
