Catholics Come Home

Throughout the country, the welcome posters have been hung on Churches, billboards, TV and read on radio as part of a movement begun just a few years ago by Tom Peterson, whose faith-journey found him away from the Church for awhile, but eventually led him back. He realized that many shared his journey and could benefit from his experience, so he founded Catholics Come Home. It is an invitation to all: Catholics who no longer practice or who have joined other denominations, or to people who are not Catholic but are searching for Truth, community, and that which will satisfy what is missing in their lives. Our age of comfort and materialism has dulled the edge of urgency and allowed complacency to gain a larger foothold than it should have. The scandal caused by priests who defiled those who trusted in them, and the "cover-up" by their superiors has driven many away.
Yet, this campaign of frank dialog and outreach has brought 200,000 back to the Church just last year and hopes to gain further returnees this year. I happened to ask a man if he still went to our parish, and he quickly admitted that he had sloughed off but intended to make an effort to return to weekly Mass attendance. I didn't realize he had drifted, but was glad that my innocent question provoked him to his admission and resolve. We all know people like that, and perhaps even in our own families, or even with ourselves, we find too many "excused absences" (most of them "unexcused"). Helping others, even ourselves "come home" might be a worthy Lenten discipline that would bring peace to them and to us. See www.catholicscomehome.org
Bro. Rene