What is “Catholics Returning Home”?
Stated simply, it is a formal invitation made in an informal way to invite non-practicing Catholics home to the Catholic Church. Approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, this initiative was started by a Catholic woman who had fallen away and thus had become inactive herself. When she eventually returned, she noted that the Catholic Church had unknowingly and unintentionally failed to eliminate some of the simple basic emotional barriers and spiritual hardships which hinder Catholic family members from “coming home.” She has resolved and, in a substantial way, has succeeded in forming a ministry to help us heal and to be fully reconciled.
Two whom does the Catholic Returning Home invitation apply?
· To those who were raised Catholic but seldom, if ever, come to church anymore.
· To people who consider themselves Catholic but now feel separated from the Church.
· To inactive Catholics who left the Church — for a variety of reasons — yet see changes and/or are drawn by memories and relationships calling them home.
· To Catholics who are considering leaving the Church and would like certain teachings of the Church explained more fully to them.
· To people who have left the Catholic Church and attended the services of a Christian or non-Christian community of another faith -- sometimes for quite a long time.
· To Catholics whom the Church owes an apology. The Catholics Returning Home invitation recognizes that the Church does, in many instances, owe her children an apology. Through this program, our priests do extend both general and personal apologies where necessary.
· To Catholics who are divorced or want to know more about the reasons as to why they should or should not receive Communion.
· To Catholics who feel they need to apologize to the Church. Sometimes, through our own human-ness, we also make mistakes in life. We cannot always apologize to everyone we have harmed but we can confess to the Church. Confession heals the soul!
· To inactive Catholics who long for the Eucharist and for involvement in the faith community of their earlier days.
Is there any obligation?
Except to be honest with yourself, there is none. You may attend one, part of one, or all of the sessions. We certainly ask you to be honest with us as to what you share. You may share as little or as much as you choose. We, ourselves, are just other Catholics who have struggled with the faith at one time or another in our lives. Some of us have left and returned; some of us have struggled and stayed; some of us are converts to Catholicism; some of us are “cradle Catholics” who never really seriously questioned our Catholic faith. We are just everyday Catholics who now love our faith.
What does Catholics Returning Home entail?
This is a six-week series sponsored by the Heartland Parishes of Ellis County (the eight parishes listed on our home-page). We meet six consecutive Sundays from 6:30-8:00 P.M. at a local parish, which will alternate each week between St. Nicholas of Myra Parish and St. Joseph Parish. Both are located on 13th Street in Hays, one on the east side of town, the other on the west side of town. The topics covered, dates, and meeting location each week are listed below. If for some reason you are uncomfortable during any session, you may leave at any time. You may attend all or any of the six sessions. To date, all participants have done their best to attend all six sessions.
YOU ARE WELCOME!
What if I am non-Catholic but interested in learning more about Catholicism?
We would very much like for you to contact us. We can talk, or meet, and steer you in the right direction for this objective. You may contact Mark Roberti at 785-625-7356 stjstewardship@eaglecom.net or call one of the priests listed on the bottom of our home page. Inviting non-Catholics home to the “Mother Church”, the Catholic Church, is an essential part of our mission as Church, which is not done through the Catholics Returning Home effort, which is essentially for baptized Catholics who have been away.
What is involved in the Catholics Returning Home sessions?
For the first two meetings, only lay people are involved in the teaching team (although a priest does pop in for a moment at the first meeting to say hello and welcome participants). All six sessions are designed to be non-threatening and informative.
The first two sessions include an overview of the series and stories of our faith. New Catholics Returning Home participants can say as little or as much as they choose. The team members have stories and reflections of their personal walks to share. Some new participants open up readily and also share their stories. Some remain quiet well into the later sessions until they feel more comfortable. From the start, we all agree that shared stories are to be kept confidential.
In the remaining four sessions, either the lay team-leader or a priest covers one of the topics listed. Each priest presents for only one week, so that participants will be able to meet and converse with various priests from the several parishes.
What happens at the conclusion of the series?
Often participants choose to “come home,” when the six weekly sessions end. Some like to give themselves a little time to think about it first; others choose not to come home at this time.
When a person does choose to come home, we try to get him/her involved in the parish. That helps the participants in their journey. It builds relationships; it promotes fellowship; it helps them to meet other members of our faith community; and it brings them closer to God. The Catholic faith is about an ever-developing relationship with God, individually, and through the faith community.
Our faith is a journey. It is an adventure with wonderful times, with perilous times, and with ordinary day-to-day times. There will always be an ebb and flow under God’s watchful, loving eye. We journey — together -- as the New Israel.
For those who choose not to return at the present time, that is fine. It may well be part of God’s plan for you. But we delight in honestly saying that, so far, without exception, each person who has participated in the Catholics Returning Home invitation has experienced a greater respect for the Catholic Church and her teachings. In each case, there has been some healing. Also, we have all made some additional friends. So we believe the Catholics Returning Home initiative has been 100% successful in the Heartland Parishes of Ellis County!
RETURN TO:
For more information about the national Catholics Returning Home effort
