Do you know someone who has left the Church, or feels like the Church left them? Most of us don’t have to look far to find inactive Catholics among our family and friends. Some were hurt by a particular person or occurrence within the church; others (mistakenly) believe that their life circumstances exclude them from practicing their faith, some just felt like they wouldn't be missed, or didn't "get anything out of it".   Many of us want to welcome these loved ones back into communion with us, but we don’t know what to do.

As baptized, active Catholics, we have a precious gift of faith and love from the Lord that needs to be shared with our inactive brothers and sisters.  It’s easy….

• We need to pray for ourselves; that we are open and non-judgmental, pliable to the Holy Spirit and sensitive to the needs of the persons God places in our life.
• We need to pray for them; for hope, for healing, for faith, that the desire to know God in the Catholic tradition will be stirred up in their hearts even as we reach out to them.
• Then, after prayer, we need to extend a personal invitation to them to come home to the Catholic Church. Many inactive Catholics are waiting for an invitation to return. Many wrongly believe that they are excommunicated and are not welcome to return for a variety of reasons.

You can make a tremendous difference in someone’s life simply by reaching out to them and telling them that we miss them and would like for them to come back home to our Church family. Offering to join them at bible study or mass and accompanying them in those first steps back can make what seemed impossible possible!

At St. Thérèse the special ministry that helps inactive Catholics return to the Church is called         Re-Membering Church. The door is always open - we work on God's timing!

Whether you would like to come home to the Catholic Church, or simply explore the possibilities and find some peace, then please let us extend a warm welcome home!

Contact Dorothy Hulburt at the Ministry Center for details, 619.286.4605

For additional resources about specific issues, see Once Catholic  

 Do you feel the promptings of God’s Spirit within you, calling you home to your catholic faith?

Coming Home