Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop Robert C. Morlino Friday, October 24, 2003 12:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Eucharist, St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison, followed by the Praying of the Rosary Friday, October 24 - Monday, October 27, 2003 Host Annual North Central Lieutenancy Meeting and Investiture of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Madison Tuesday, October 28 - Wednesday, October 29, 2003 Attend Wisconsin Catholic Conference Board Meeting, Milwaukee Thursday, October 30, 2003 3:00 p.m. -- Preside at Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Saturday, October 25, 2003 4:45 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Patrick Parish, Lodi Sunday, October 26, 2003 10:30 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Cross Plains Tuesday, October 28 - Wednesday, October 29, 2003 Attend Wisconsin Catholic Conference Board Meeting, Milwaukee Thursday, October 30, 2003 3:00 p.m. -- Attend Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison

First Confession
must come before
First Communion

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Dear Father, Deacon, Co-Worker in the Lord's Service:

It was not particularly my intention, so early after my arrival here, to address a concrete issue. I like to have a good look around, I am doing so, and everywhere I look, I see the Lord doing marvelous deeds through the faith of our diocesan community. In these very early days a concrete question has been posed to me several times both in the spoken and the written word and has also been brought to my attention by my own diocesan office of Religious Education. That question concerns the appropriateness of First Confession, First Penance, First Reconciliation, as you will, before First Communion.

In the '70s there was permitted an experimental period during which First Confession could be postponed until after First Communion - the thought being that perhaps second graders were too young to have the appropriate sense of sin for the celebration of the sacrament. In fact, that experimental period was brought to an end, and the Church offered the determination that First Confession must come before First Communion. The most difficult problem in life, it seems, is communication, and the end of this time of experimentation failed for a multitude of reasons to be communicated effectively. And thus, around these United States, the question of this matter of First Penance before or after First Communion still arises.

It is true that for ordinary second graders who look to receive their First Communion, there is not a moral necessity to receive the sacrament of Penance. Ordinary second graders are not conscious of serious sin which consciousness places the obligation to receive the Sacrament of Penance as a moral necessity. The absence of this moral necessity for the ordinary second grader to receive the Sacrament of Penance does not have the effect of canceling the long standing practice in the Church of First Penance before First Communion, because moral necessity is not the only kind of necessity.

First Confession must come before First Communion because of a catechetical necessity if you will. In the reception of Holy Communion, Christ who is grace, appears under the sign of bread and wine and the one receiving becomes one with Him. It is possible to welcome Him who is grace only if we know our need for Him, only if we know our need for grace. Our need for grace is real and urgent only because of sin. Grace is God's free gift of salvation from sin. When one thinks of grace one must think of sin which creates in us the urgent need for grace. To put it very simply, no sin no grace. This is one of the most basic elements in the understanding of our faith, and everything must be done so that this element is taught and understood clearly. Reception of Holy Communion as in First Eucharist is an experience of grace that is of course sacramental, and it envelops the whole person. That grace is needed because of sin, and the Church has another sacrament to envelop the whole person as he or she seeks to deal with sin, acknowledge it, and seek forgiveness. The Sacrament of Penance received before and in preparation for First Communion teaches clearly that we approach the throne of grace in need because we have sinned. Explaining this in words to second graders can be very difficult but if the young person approaches the priest in the Sacrament of Penance to admit that he or she has sinned and to confess his or her venial sins, the reality of sin is driven home through a sacramental experience in a way that it could not be otherwise, so that the sacramental experience of grace in Holy Communion may occur in the proper setting and context. In her long-standing practice the Church sees a catechetical necessity and strong advisability for the Sacrament of Penance to occur before First Communion.

Secondly, it has been part of the Church's experience, and my own experience in other dioceses, that those who do not receive First Penance before First Communion rather routinely fall through the cracks in terms of the experience of the Sacrament of Penance and fail to receive it in accord with any pattern of religious formation. What happens of course then is that the question of the Sacrament of Penance will frequently arise for the first time during adolescence when there might be a moral necessity to receive that sacrament because of the consciousness of serious sin. In that case the adolescent who grapples with so many feelings about guilt and authority is ill prepared to approach a priest for the Sacrament of Penance, partially out of fear and partially out of the authority hang-up that accompanies adolescence. So the adolescent rejects the Sacrament of Penance with the idea that he or she need confess only directly to God and has no need of the priest. It is curious that while people raise that issue of not needing the priest (that is the Church) for the forgiveness of sins, they don't move forward consistently and say they don't need the Church or the priest for Holy Communion either. They could just sit in their room and in the course of a holy mind trip of sorts receive communion. But that certainly would not be the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. Thus, the introduction of a young person, say a second grader, to the Sacrament of Penance at a time when precisely there is no consciousness of serious sin, at a time when a priest can simply be welcoming, kind, smiling, perhaps on the occasion of First Penance giving the gift of a holy card or medal or statue to the second grader - the young person can be invited to the sacrament in a way that is most comfortable and most promising of encouraging the young person to continue to receive this sacrament regularly, so that a good habit of receiving the Sacrament of Penance will be in place well before this sacrament becomes a moral necessity required by the consciousness of serious sin. In this sense I would say that First Penance coming before First Communion is also a pastoral necessity.

And lastly, as I indicated, the period of experimentation with regard to this particular issue was definitively called to an end, though communication in this matter proved less than effective. (Cf. Canon 914 and No.1457, Catechism of the Catholic Church).

And so without attributing any unworthy intentions whatsoever to anyone, and with the discipline and teaching of the Church in this regard made clear, I must require that in the Diocese of Madison, First Penance precede First Communion. If there were some highly unusual situation which might make a parent hesitate to send daughter or son to First Penance as a second grader, it is always possible to approach the pastor for judgment in this matter. But the circumstances which would permit any postponement whatever should be highly unusual, for example that the child is developmentally disabled and does not have the minimal understanding necessary for reception of the sacrament. In this case, of course, every reasonable gesture should be made to include the child with his/her peers in every other way.

And so, dear co-workers in the Lord's service, I entrust to you the doctrine and the discipline of the Church in this particular matter confident in your willingness to move whatever needs to be moved in the right direction. The truth of sin should never cause anyone pathological guilt because the truth of sin is always overwhelmed by the truth of grace, grace which takes its meaning, power and beauty from the victory of Christ, a victory which is precisely victory over sin. Sin is not meant to be forgotten because of this victory so that the Sacrament of Penance is neglected. Sin is not forgotten, but real, but always conquered by grace in the heart open to Christ - it is that complete truth which we are called to believe from the heart, and that truth is sacramentally embodied in the practice of First Penance before First Communion.

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter and for who you are in Christ's service, and for all that you do. Let us continue prayerfully to work together in the name of the Lord calling all to the vision which will never disappoint. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino
Bishop of Madison

Official Appointment:

Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, wishes to announce the following appointment:

Reverend James R. Bartylla, as Chaplain to the Serra Club of Madison, effective October 9, 2003.

Msgr. Paul J. Swain
Vicar General