Maybe it was a curmudgeon of a priest, or a stern nun, maybe it’s a difficult teaching of Christ and His Church. Maybe you just feel like the Church has left you...no matter the reason(s) —many Catholics have given up practicing their faith within the Body of Christ, the Church. You have heard it many times be-fore—at a cocktail party or Christmas dinner, maybe at a business luncheon—"I was raised a Catholic but…" followed by a sigh of relief as if they have escaped from some torturous imprisonment.
There are many reasons why someone has stopped living out their faith in the Church. But whatever the reason, it is real and it is a major "event" to that individual, who feels they have been slighted, wronged or mistreated. And the Church wants to have an opportunity to talk to them about that—and hopefully
welcome them back to the practice of their faith within the Community of Believers.

In this Year of Faith (October 11, 2012 – the Feast of Christ the King, 2013), the Church is moving to revitalize and
re-evangelize its flock. The message of God’s love and mercy is the same, but the way with which the message is offered has changed. It is much like the old Kellogg’s commercial, "Try it again, for the first time," and hopefully what will come of this new encounter is a renewed and reinvigorated faith in Christ Jesus for everyone—the individual and the Church. Pope Benedict has great plans for this New Evangelization and is calling upon all Catholics—clergy, lay and the institutional Church—to respond with peace, mercy, love and joy in offering God’s message of hope and, by those affected, in receiving this great gift from our Father.

One way we here at St. Catherine of Siena Parish will work to be part of this global Catholic effort of renewed faith is to begin a new outreach ministry called, "Catholics Come Home." Our efforts will focus on reestablishing a connection with those who no longer attend Church or practice their faith, hoping to see if there is someway we can repair the "damage" of a past experience. It is my hope that we can begin that process right here in our own "church family" by reaching out to our families—our brothers, sisters, young adult children, maybe our spouses or neighbors who see no relevance to having Church in their lives.

An expression of friendship will go a long way to begin the conversation. Inviting them to ask their questions or vent their concerns—in an atmosphere where no one points a finger or seeks to locate fault, but rather to offer God’s love and hope for each and every person. Our new ministry met for the first time on Oc-tober 22nd to discuss the "who," "what," "where," "why," and "how" of accomplishing this endeavor. We landed on the idea of small, family settings were folks could ask their questions and seek truthful answers in a non-threatening way. We need to work this out in greater detail and that’s where I hope you will fit in.

I think it is pretty safe to say almost every family has at least one member who has "differences" with the Church or feels that the Church has left them. We would like your input and ideas on just how to reach out to them and invite them to have a dialogue, hopefully leading to a new beginning. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 14 at 7 p.m. I hope you will come and help us in this very important ministry, which is all about bringing people back to Christ. It is worth everyone’s time and efforts. Thanks!