Have you ever had success to bring a former catholic back to the church

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hello
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Hello

Guest
Have you ever had success to bring a former catholic back to the church?
2 of my family quit going g to church
Don’t judge me they say?
 
Last edited:
No, however, I have seen the Holy Spirit bring people back. Best we stay out of His way.

Our job is to be loving.
 
They may need time to work through their issues. Prodding and pressuring won’t help at this point and may backfire.

Have they said why they left?
 
Hello said:
Have you ever had success to bring a former catholic back to the church?
Click to expand...
You can talk to them, debate them when that is what they need, and love them. However, it is always their choice to come back. Bringing them back is not your “success” or “failure”. You can be part of bringing them back. However, if they think that you are trying to bring them back or that you feel success or failure based on their actions, your efforts likely won’t work.

I’ve seen people come back after decades. I can’t and won’t take credit though.
 
Last edited:
Did they go to a Protestant church? Or do they say they no longer believe?
 
My in-laws had success bring me back…They did it by not pushing, not judging and not even mentioning it. The only thing they did was ask if I wanted to join them to Mass at Christmas or Ash Wednesday or Easter.
 
I was able to influence a Cafeteria Catholic to be more in line with Church teaching.

And I had a co worker once who was thinking about coming back and she used to talk to me and some other Catholic co workers sometimes. I know she attended Mass a couple times, but then o took a new job and we lost touch.

But somebody totally out the door to come back? Not that I’m aware of.
 
A friend of mine went through an atheist phase. Me and his wife prayed for him. He is now an usher at his church.
 
Last edited:
Our Lady of Fatima asked for prayers and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and peace in this world. Offer your family members to all those praying for this intention.

I know a number of people who read the story of Fatima and realized that God is still alive and active in the world, and they returned to the faith. I think when all is revealed at the end of time we may be surprised at how ordinary unassuming people were real warriors for the conversion of sinners by doing their daily duty with much love for God and offering their struggles and sufferings that conversions could happen. If you haven’t started this holy habit, consider it today. Be a heavy hitter for God today. Those daily annoyances and struggles can impact the world for good.
 
Yes, in a strange way. We married twenty years ago, and I was a divorced Protestant. We tried Protestant churches, but she wasn’t comfortable with them. We stopped attending church for many years, but I wasn’t happy with things that way. Three years ago, I’d have enough and wanted to find out why she couldn’t practice Catholicism just because I was divorced. Pope Francis had also been in the news about the year of mercy, and I had heard something about annulments being made easier.
We spoke to what is now our Pastor. He explained the requirements to get her back into good standing with the church. I started the process for an annulment for my first marriage.
I also started RCIA with the intent of learning more about my wife’s faith. Four months later the annulment was granted, she went to confession and I had learned enough in RCIA to decide to convert. We had our marriage convalidated and she was back in a state of Grace. That Easter I entered the church.
So on my journey, I brought her back. I love a happy ending!
 
I think if you took a poll of Catholics, 80% would say they had fallen away at some point in their life. Either lack of faith or being sucked into some other “church” that may seem more appealing for a while or something.
I fell away for years. I think Christ knew this would happen to many as well. Remember the Prodigal Son. Those who leave are always called back. For those of us here in the Church now we need to guard against pride and stay humble knowing we once were the younger son as well. In a real way we all are the younger son at some point. And how easy it is to act like the older son after we return. We must guard against both errors.
 
Last edited:
Hello said:
Have you ever had success to bring a former catholic back to the church
Click to expand...
I can’t say that I have but my parents, especially my father with his many rosaries, I believe cooperated with God in bringing me back. I had fallen away for quite a while and was a very strong and confused protestant. I will always be grateful for my parent’s prayers.

I am praying now for others in my family, hoping for their return. Rosaries, green scapulars, fasting and deliverance prayers are very helpful. I truly believe God answers prayers and wants us praying for others salvation as well as our own.

As others have said, sometimes pushing can actually have a bad effect but with that said, don’t always believe that people are not listening to what you say. It could be they are hearing you but just need to work it out in their own time.
And don’t always believe they are happy where they are. I was very unhappy before I returned but was to proud to admit it.
 
Last edited:
This past weekend I noticed more people than usual at Mass. I cannot convert anyone but I may have been an instrument sometimes in my life. Certainly I hope so.
 
Hello said:
Have you ever had success to bring a former catholic back to the church?
2 of my family quit going g to church
Don’t judge me they say?
Click to expand...
If it were my situation, I would not judge. What can and will speak loudly is by not being fearful about being open about our own Catholic beliefs wherever needed i.e. there is an opening to do so, and backing up your words strongly, very strongly, by your behaviour. The heart of The Church is Love. And we are a hospital for sinners not a club for saints - we share a common nature and weak and fallible humanity.
A spiritual difference between all us Catholics is perhaps only the type and degree of sin committed.

There is a vast difference between being open about one’s Faith and imposing one’s beliefs on others.

I had a lapsed Catholic brought back to the Faith on her deathbed through witnessing my behaviour towards her. Again, it was quite inadvertently on my part. I gave her a statue of Our Lady and Rosary Beads, asking her first if she would like same. She was very moved that I thought she was ok to have them. I was very moved she thought she was not worthy of them. I spoke confidentially to the nun chaplain about her. Shortly after she went to Confession and Holy Communion and died a peaceful even happy and holy death.

I (quite inadvertently) had parents and five children (next door neighbours) baptised into Catholicism because the mother was curious about where I went so early every morning before school. My mother explained I was going to Mass and where. It was during the days of early morning Masses. They attended that Chapel (Daughters of Charity when still the butterfly nuns 🙂 )and the whole family was baptised there. I was both a god parent and later a sponsor for Confirmation.

As you can see from the above instances, I was not directly responsible for the conversions, rather I seemed to be a triggering factor. A part of a process not an event. Most often, I suspect, any good we might do for others will not be known until Heaven. Nor do I think it is our business to know, rather ours is to serve. I used to really love that blessing in Confession (sadly I have not heard it in many years) : “May any good you do, any evil you suffer, being to you the rewards of eternal life”

—o0o—

We called the Daughters of Charity the Butterfly Nuns because of the quite unusual head covering/cornette they wore before the habit was modified. Images are here: Pin on Discernment - Daughters of Charity
 
Last edited:
My Dad started going to Mass again when I converted. He was lapsed. My Mom goes with him now, though she isn’t Catholic yet. My brother converted a few years ago. It wasn’t my success, but I think I had an influence. I’m praying for the rest of my family.
 
Isn’t God amazing how he opens doors and all we need to do is go from grace to grace. What a encouraging story and the story continues. 😊🙏
 
Last edited:
My sister a couple of years ago. I just planted the seed, the Holy Spirit did the rest.
 
Yes, once. But I had no idea that was what I was doing.
Judging?
No.
Admonishing the sinner?
Oh, yes.
  1. Tell them that if you didn’t love them, it would not bother you.
  2. Have they ever heard the phrase “You don’t know what you’re missing?” Yeah.
  3. To quote Bo Diddley, "Who do you love? Self or God?
 
Last edited:
Yes, many, many times.
But, unfortunately, not nearly as often as I have tried.
An invaluable resource is “Search and Rescue,” by Patrick Madrid.
Click to expand...
Don’t ever give up, and convince them with the way you live as a disciple of the Lord Jesus,
Deacon Christopher
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top