Steps to convert to traditional Catholicism

“The minister of this sacrament is the priest, whose duty it is to baptize; but in case of necessity, not only a priest or a deacon, but even a layperson or a woman, and even more so a pagan or a heretic, can baptize, provided that they observe the form of the Church and have the intention of doing what the Church does.” ¹

“If anyone says that Baptism, given even by heretics in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, with the intention of doing what the Church does, is not true Baptism, let him be anathema.” ¹

“(1) It is appropriate that the priest who baptizes adults, and the adults themselves, if they are in good health, be fasting at the time of baptism.” ¹

“(1) An adult shall be baptized only knowingly and voluntarily; he shall be sufficiently instructed and informed that he must repent of his sins.

(2) In danger of death, if the adult cannot be more thoroughly instructed on the principal mysteries of the faith, it is sufficient for the baptism to be conferred that he show in some way his consent and seriously promise to observe the precepts of the Christian religion.

(3) If the adult is not even in a condition to request baptism but has previously shown or demonstrates some probable intention to receive it, he must be baptized conditionally; if he later recovers and doubt remains about the validity of the baptism conferred, he shall be baptized again conditionally.” ¹

“(1) The child of unbelievers may be licitly baptized, even against the will of the parents, when his state of health is such that it can be reasonably foreseen that he will die before reaching the age of reason.

(2) Outside the danger of death and provided that his Catholic education is ensured, the child of unbelievers may be licitly baptized: (a) If the parents or guardians, or at least one of them, consent; (b) If the parents, that is, the father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, or guardians, are absent, have lost all rights over the child, or are unable to exercise their rights.” ¹

“If all those who are regenerated through Baptism maintained a great enough gratitude toward God to remain constantly in the righteousness they received through His grace and blessing, there would have been no need to establish any other sacrament besides Baptism for the remission of sins.

But God, who is rich in mercy and knows the fragility of our nature, has kindly provided another remedy to restore life to those who, after Baptism, have fallen into the bondage of sin and the power of the devil.

This remedy is the sacrament of Penance, through which the grace of Jesus Christ’s death is applied to those who have fallen after Baptism.” ¹

“The acts of the penitent himself, namely Contrition, Confession, and Satisfaction, are like the matter of this Sacrament; and these same acts, as they are required by divine institution in the penitent for the integrity of the Sacrament and for the full and perfect remission of sins, are also in this sense called the parts of Penance.” ¹

“Contrition, which holds the first place among the acts of the penitent mentioned above, is an inner sorrow and detestation of the sin committed, along with the resolution to sin no more in the future. This movement of contrition has always been necessary to obtain the forgiveness of sins; and for one who has fallen after Baptism, it serves as a preparation for the remission of sins, provided it is accompanied by trust in divine mercy and the desire to do the other things required to properly receive this sacrament.

The holy Council therefore declares that this contrition does not merely consist of ceasing from sin, resolving, and beginning a new life, but also includes hatred of one’s past life, according to this passage from Scripture: “Cast away from you all the iniquities by which you have transgressed my law, and make yourselves a new spirit and a new heart.” Indeed, whoever considers these expressions of the saints, “Against you alone have I sinned, and I have done evil in your sight; I have worn myself out with sighing, I have drenched my bed with tears every night; I will recall before you all the years of my life in the bitterness of my soul,” and similar sentiments, will easily understand that they arose from a deep hatred of their past life and a strong detestation of their sins.

The holy Council further declares that, although at times this contrition may be perfect through charity and reconcile a person to God even before they have actually received the sacrament of Penance, this reconciliation should not be attributed to contrition alone, independently of the will to receive the sacrament, which is necessarily included in it.

As for imperfect contrition, called attrition, which usually arises either from consideration of the ugliness of sin or from fear of hell and eternal punishment, if, along with hope for forgiveness, it excludes the will to sin, the holy Council declares that not only does it not make a person a hypocrite or a greater sinner, but rather, it is a gift from God and an impulse of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, though not yet dwelling in the person, moves them and helps the penitent prepare the way for justice. And although attrition by itself, without the sacrament of Penance, cannot bring the sinner to justification, it nonetheless disposes them to obtain God’s grace in the sacrament of Penance. For it was through this very fear, which struck them effectively at the preaching of Jonah, that the Ninevites performed a penance filled with dread and obtained mercy from God.

Thus, it is falsely claimed by some that Catholic authors have written that the sacrament of Penance confers grace without a good disposition on the part of the recipient; the Church of God has never believed or taught such a thing. Likewise, it is also falsely asserted that contrition is a forced and violent act, rather than a free and voluntary one.” ¹

“According to the institution of the Sacrament of Penance, as already explained, the universal Church has always understood that the full confession of sins was also instituted by our Lord and that it is necessary by divine law for all who have fallen into sin after Baptism. For our Lord Jesus Christ, as He was about to ascend from earth to heaven, left priests as His vicars, acting as judges and leaders before whom the faithful must present all mortal sins they have committed. This is so that, according to the power of the keys given to them to forgive or retain sins, they may pronounce judgment. Indeed, it is evident that priests could not exercise this jurisdiction without knowledge of the case, nor could they maintain fairness in imposing penances if penitents declared their sins only in general terms and not specifically and in detail.

From this, it follows that penitents must confess all mortal sins of which they are aware after a careful examination of their conscience, even if these sins are very secret and committed only against the last two commandments of the Decalogue. Such sins can sometimes be more dangerous and wound the soul more gravely than those committed openly before the world.

As for venial sins, which do not separate us from God’s grace and into which we fall more frequently, though it is good, useful, and praiseworthy to confess them, as the practice of pious individuals shows, it is not strictly necessary. They may be omitted without fault and can be atoned for through other means.

However, all mortal sins, even those committed in thought, make people children of wrath and enemies of God. Therefore, it is necessary to seek forgiveness for all these sins from God through a sincere and humble confession. Thus, when the faithful confess all the sins that come to their memory, they undoubtedly present them all to God’s mercy to obtain pardon. But those who act otherwise and deliberately withhold some sins offer nothing to God’s goodness that could be absolved by the priest. For if a sick person is ashamed to reveal their wound to the doctor, the doctor cannot heal what remains unknown.

Furthermore, it follows that penitents must also explain in confession the circumstances that change the nature of the sin. Without this, sins are not fully disclosed by penitents, nor are they sufficiently known to the judges, who cannot properly assess the gravity of the offenses or impose an appropriate penance. It is therefore irrational to claim that these circumstances were invented by idle men or that it suffices to declare only one, such as having sinned against a brother. Moreover, it is impious to assert that this type of confession is impossible or to call it a tyranny over consciences. For it is clear that the Church requires nothing more from penitents than that each one, after a serious examination and deep introspection, confesses the sins by which they remember having mortally offended their Lord and God.

Regarding other sins that do not come to mind after a thorough examination, they are considered to be included in the general confession. For these, we confidently pray with the Prophet: Cleanse me, O Lord, from my hidden faults. However, it must be acknowledged that confession, due to its difficulty and especially the shame associated with revealing one’s sins, might seem like a heavy burden. Yet, this burden is made light by the great and numerous benefits and consolations that are undoubtedly received through absolution by all those who approach this sacrament worthily.” ¹

“The holy council further declares that the extent of God’s goodness and liberality is so great that through Jesus Christ, we can make satisfaction to God the Father, not only through the pains we take upon ourselves to punish the sin within us, or those that are imposed on us by the judgment of the priest, according to the measure of our faults; but also, as the final sign of His love, through the temporal afflictions He sends us in the world, by suffering them patiently.” ¹