# How Does One Become A Nun / Priest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142 "2011-06-11T20:16:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/21 "2011-06-12T16:26:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Baptism, Confession, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, Last Rights. > > Those are the seven sacraments I learned in Catechism. Did I miss any or get any wrong? I believe confession, known as “First Penance”, typically comes after first communion. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/22 "2011-06-12T16:39:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Last Rights. [Last Rites](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Rites) technically includes several sacraments, the sacrament of Anointing the Sick (known when I was taking catechism as Extreme Unction) plus Penance (Confession) and the Eucharist (Holy Communion). ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/23 "2011-06-12T16:45:18Z")
**MissMossie**. I don’t know if she’s still around. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/24 "2011-06-12T16:57:02Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Last Rites](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Rites) technically includes several sacraments, the sacrament of Anointing the Sick (known when I was taking catechism as Extreme Unction) plus Penance (Confession) and the Eucharist (Holy Communion). Ah yes. I knew there was a better term for it, but couldn’t think of it. Should have checked wikipedia first. Extreme Unction. I always thought that was the coolest sounding sacrament, although certainly not the one I was yearning to receive! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/25 "2011-06-12T17:48:33Z")
It’s not that I dispute that confession is a sacrament, just that your post made it appear to be one of the sacraments of initiation, which it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/26 "2011-06-12T18:05:23Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I believe confession, known as “First Penance”, typically comes after first communion. Before, actually. You want your soul to be all squeaky clean for receiving the Body of Christ. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/27 "2011-06-12T18:48:53Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > Before, actually. You want your soul to be all squeaky clean for receiving the Body of Christ. Huh. My church did it backwards then. I think the idea was that they didn’t want us to confess until we understood what that meant. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/28 "2011-06-12T19:12:29Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Huh. My church did it backwards then. I think the idea was that they didn’t want us to confess until we understood what that meant. What church was that? First Confession before First Holy Communion AFAIK is standard in Roman Catholicism. I would be astounded if a Catholic church did it that way. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/29 "2011-06-12T19:16:51Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Last Rites](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Rites) technically includes several sacraments, the sacrament of Anointing the Sick (known when I was taking catechism as Extreme Unction) plus Penance (Confession) and the Eucharist (Holy Communion). Isn’t it too late to become a nun or priest after you have the last rites? I guess not, some people get them more than once. Not binding I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/30 "2011-06-12T19:26:18Z")
Yeah, Catholics would always do Confession before Holy Communion. You usually prepare for the two at the same time. Confession just before Communion. I remember, being the serious student I was, asking the nun how far back I had to remember my sins. After all the first time you confess, it’s open ended. She told me to just think of sins I had committed since I was 4-years-old. That helped a lot… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/31 "2011-06-12T19:31:06Z")
The widipedia page lists the sacraments thusly: > [@](#): > > The following are the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, here listed in the traditional order:[11] > > ``` > * Baptism (Christening) > * Confirmation (Chrismation) > * Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion, The Lord's Supper, or the Blessed Sacrament) > * Penance (Confession) > * Anointing of the Sick (known prior to the Second Vatican Council as Extreme Unction (or more literally from Latin: Last Anointing), then seen as part of the "Last Rites") > * Holy Orders > * Matrimony (Marriage) > > ``` Putting Confession after Holy Communion. They call this the “traditional order”, but don’t say what that means. The cite they link to is indeed the RCC catechism, and the sacraments are indeed listed in that order there, but it doesn’t say anything about why they are listed in that order. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/32 "2011-06-12T19:34:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Putting Confession after Holy Communion. They call this the “traditional order”, but don’t say what that means. It obviously has nothing to do with the order in which they are received, since Confirmation usually takes place well after First Holy Communion. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/33 "2011-06-12T19:34:54Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > What church was that? First Confession before First Holy Communion AFAIK is standard in Roman Catholicism. I would be astounded if a Catholic church did it that way. A Catholic church in western New York that no longer exists. But after a little googling, it looks like I’m not alone: [http://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/06/06/reader-question-the-order-of-the-sacraments.htm](http://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/06/06/reader-question-the-order-of-the-sacraments.htm) > **[Catholic Faith, Beliefs, & Prayers | Catholic Answers](https://www.catholic.com)** > > Explore the Largest Catholic Database: Beliefs, Practices, Articles, Books, Videos. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/34 "2011-06-12T19:47:45Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It obviously has nothing to do with the order in which they are received, since Confirmation usually takes place well after First Holy Communion. Yes, I thought so , too, but it doesn’t appear to be uniformly the same. Just for the record, I was part of a somewhat experimental cohort wrt Confirmation. Usually, it was done around the age of 12 (sort of like a Catholic Bar Mitzvah), but we were confirmed in 3rd grade, just one year after Communion. So, in my case, it wasn’t “well after” First Communion. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/35 "2011-06-12T19:57:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Just for the record, I was part of a somewhat experimental cohort wrt Confirmation. Usually, it was done around the age of 12 (sort of like a Catholic Bar Mitzvah), but we were confirmed in 3rd grade, just one year after Communion. So, in my case, it wasn’t “well after” First Communion. I was confirmed right around third grade too (it may have been the first few weeks of fourth grade), but I was definitely only 9 or 10. It’s starting to sound like there’s a lot of leeway with when the sacraments are taken. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/36 "2011-06-12T19:58:40Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Isn’t it too late to become a nun or priest after you have the last rites? I guess not, some people get them more than once. Not binding I suppose. Not necessarily. You can receive Extreme Unction any time you are gravely or seriously ill, even when you are a young person, as long as you are old enough to do penance. [(cite)](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05716a.htm). And you can receive it as many times as necessary–if you’re unlucky enough to be sick to the point of death once a year, hey! You can receive it once a year! There is some debate over this topic, since some priests are much more lenient and give extreme unction even for fairly non-serious illnesses. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/37 "2011-06-12T20:01:50Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I was confirmed right around third grade too (it may have been the first few weeks of fourth grade), but I was definitely only 9 or 10. > > It’s starting to sound like there’s a lot of leeway with when the sacraments are taken. I don’t know about that. Baptism happens ASAP after birth. Confession/Communion is almost always 2nd grade. Confirmation seems to be the biggest wild card: anywhere from 9-12. And of course the others are “as needed”. BTW, your first cite only talks about Eastern Rite sacraments being confirmation before communion. Your second cite is just to another MB where someone is posting something. Hardly definitive. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/38 "2011-06-12T20:08:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > What church was that? First Confession before First Holy Communion AFAIK is standard in Roman Catholicism. I would be astounded if a Catholic church did it that way. I belonged to a parish that had First Confession 2 years after First Holy Communion. They said that if you wanted your kid to do confession first, you had to be responsible for the instruction of it yourself. I didn’t like that place. Also…the RCC does recognize most other Christian baptism, and does not require you to be re-baptized if you convert. LDS baptism is one notable exception to that rule. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/39 "2011-06-12T20:25:35Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > Before, actually. You want your soul to be all squeaky clean for receiving the Body of Christ. This is correct, at least when I was a Catholic Kid going to Catholic School in the 50’s. Confession first. I remember the trouble I had coming up with any sins to confess that first time; my slate was pretty clean when I was seven. . ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142/40 "2011-06-12T20:42:29Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > This is correct, at least when I was a Catholic Kid going to Catholic School in the 50’s. Confession first. I remember the trouble I had coming up with any sins to confess that first time; my slate was pretty clean when I was seven. I hope you’ve mended your ways since then! I had the opposite problem. I could have used an early version of Excel to create a spreadsheet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-a-nun-priest/585142.md?page=3)