Reversion Issues

A Catholic reader who left the faith, was baptized in a Protestant church, and then returned to the faith writes:

I realize that the baptism I sought in a Protestant Church did not invalidate my original baptism since baptism is an indelible mark on the soul.  Yet, since I publicly rejected the Faith, is there anything that must be done, aside from Sacramental Confession, to demonstrate my return to communion with the Catholic Church?

No, making a good sacramental confession is all that is needed (i.e., one mentioning that you had left the faith and attempted baptism outside the Church).

Is there anything that can be done optionally?

Buy a really big crucifix and put it on your wall?

There are no Church-approved optional ceremonies for a person returning in this fashion, but there is no reason you can’t do something concrete–such as getting a really big crucifix–to symbolize your return to the faith.

Secondly, if I was in a state of mortal sin by having formally rejected the Catholic Faith, and yet continued to receive the Eucharist and go to confession at the same time, are the confessions I made in the period between when I was baptised outside the Church and when I returned to full communion with the Church (and finally confessed the baptism outside of the Church) invalid?  If so do I need to make a general confession for this time period?

This is a more complicated question. You begin it with the supposition that you committed a mortal sin in your rejection of the faith. That’s not at all an unreasonable supposition, for you were beyond the age of reason when you left (based on other things you say in your e-mail), but the Church would not teach that you automatically were in a state of mortal sin.

*IF* you were in mortal sin due to your repudiation of the faith and your attempted re-baptism *AND* you knew that you needed to mention this in confession *AND* if you didn’t mention it *THEN* the confessions were invalid and a general confession for the period would be mandatory (including the times you went to Communion and confession knowing that you shouldn’t).

On the other hand, there are a significant number of conditions there complicating matters.

My advice would be to go ahead and do a general confession for the period. Rather than try to nail down exactly what you were responsible for and in what degree, though, I would suggest that you name the objective acts you did (repudiate the faith, attempt baptism outside the church, continue to go to Communion and occasionally confession in the Church) and then say that you are not entirely sure of your culpability for each of these at the time (assuming that is the case), but that you wish to confess them *IN CASE* you need to do so.

Hope this helps, and welcome back!

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Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live." View all posts by Jimmy Akin