Catholics Returning Home
That’s what I am, that’s what my husband and I are – Catholics returning home. As the Christmas season approaches we have one more thing to celebrate! Last year about this time, we went to a family celebration – one that had not been held for many years, not since the death of the matriarch of his large French family. A Momo Christmas, the cousins who hosted it called it a Momo Christmas, a Christmas celebration in memory of his grandmother.

 How sentimental, how symbolic, it all seemed – we got misty-eyed just thinking about it. Of course we accepted. How could we not? We saw cousins and their children and their children, and the precious few remaining aunts and uncles. Fortunately, we saw one cousin who had gotten involved with St. Oliver Plunkett Church after her mother died, and found such a welcome there, that she joined the Catholics Returning Home program.

 She asked straight out, “Are you going to church regularly?” Reluctantly, we admitted the truth – that we only went to weddings and funerals, and that occasionally we slipped into the back of the church at Christmas or Easter. “Come with me to Catholics Returning Home”, she said, “I’ll go with you.” And we agreed.

 Actually, we had wanted to go back to church for a long time, but we didn’t know how, and nobody had asked us before. Perhaps, we were afraid that no one ever would again. And so we did. We found out that a lot of people had left the church and come back; we meet more of them all the time. We found that there was no sin that God could not forgive, and that although there had been changes, it was still our church and it was where we wanted to be. The CRH brochure quoted someone named Sally Mews: “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic, IF you want to be…

 It turned out that Sally Mews developed the course outline for “Catholics Returning Home”: A Ministry of Compassion and Reconciliation.  This is six weeks of learning all over again who we are; and what the Church is about including all the changes brought about by Vatican II; the creed – what Catholics believe; how to participate in the Mass; Reconciliation, oh beautiful word; and resolving our issues.

 We came back to the church on January 10, 2006.  This year, as we celebrate the birth of Our Lord and the coming New Year, we will celebrate one more thing, coming home! We now realize how much we were missing – living our faith, sharing in the body and the blood of Christ, learning to be good stewards, and having the friendship and fellowship of people in the church community. We both feel positively renewed!

 Don’t you know someone that you should ask the question that our cousin asked us? Please ask it! Please tell them that you will go with them to Catholics Returning Home.

Last Updated - Wednesday May 21, 2008 10:49:23 AM -0400