Mailing Catholic Tracts to Non-Catholics

[Harpazo]

I have this idea that I heard from the Journey Home, when a priest talked about randomly mailing books and tracts to Protestant clergy. I thought this would be an excellent way to evangelize, except with the anonymity, there wouldn’t be a way of making exchanges back and forth. It would only be beneficial for planting seeds.

If I were to use anything, I wouldn’t create my own tracts, at least not yet. I would use the Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. Does anyone have opinions, comments, suggestions?

In Pax Christi
Andrew

 

[brianjbyrne]

We kept a copy close by the door to give to anyone looking to convert us saying “I’ll take your pamphlet if you take mine.” Now we live in an apartment community not conducive to door to door, so I had to pull it off the shelf to crack open while posting this - we have two copies. Its the best introductory pamphlet I’ve ever seen on Catholicism.

Pax et bonum

 

[tee_eff_em]

I was formerly involved in an apostolate (alas, I am not able to participate at the current time), called the Society of SS Francis Xavier and Therese. Periodically I would receive a supply of double postcards (ie designed to be detached and one half returned) and a column of names and addresses from a telephone directory, generally from an area of the country with a proportionally high number of non-Catholics. The postcard was an invitation to enroll in the Catholic Home Study Service. The apostolate consisted of each day addressing and applying postage to a card, saying a prayer for the addressee, and mailing it.

I do not know how many people were similarly sending out postcards each day, but this apostolate results in tens of enrollments in the CHSS each month.

If anyone would like more information to join this apostolate, PM me (or I shall inquire with my former group leader about advertising the contact info here).

tee

 

[Brian_C]

I dunno about tracts in general. Even though I know CA’s own tracts helped me out. But I really had a desire to join the Church from within. I’ve given out tracts to protestant friends complete with Bible verses to support Catholic theology and they just come up with more verses to say the opposite. They are surprised that we do have a Biblical basis for what they just thought were contrived traditions. But it just turns into a conversation where their position ends up being something to the effect of “Those poor Catholics. They think they are doing the will of God but they’re just wrong.”

I guess it never hurts to try because, like me, they may reach someone really receptive, but tracts alone seem like a mighty iffy way to go.

 

[Grace_Seeker]

I want to know why it is soooooo important to convert Protestants to Catholicism. Are Protestants so lost that you would rather convert them from one form of Christianity to another? Wouldn’t it be more kingdom building to try to reach non-Christians for Christ than Protestants for Rome?

 

[Harpazo]

I want to know why it is soooooo important to convert Protestants to Catholicism. Are Protestants so lost that you would rather convert them from one form of Christianity to another? Wouldn’t it be more kingdom building to try to reach non-Christians for Christ than Protestants for Rome?

If you knew that you had the fullness of the Truth, wouldn’t you want to share that with others? And I’m not converting people. That simply is not my job. I’m attempting to plant a seed of truth, God takes care of the rest.

I’m sure you can tell that Christianity is divided and I don’t recall Christ calling for division and worship based on personal preference. Maybe, that’s just me though. Label me old-fashioned.

In Pax Christi
Andrew

 

[Sr_Sally]

Personally I am not in favor of random mailings. I have a feeling it is just seen as so much more junk mail on the receiving end.

Now the idea of exchanging tracts with those folks who come to your door has more merit since they would possibly have some motivation to read what you gave them.

I believe very strongly in the evangelization by example method. And that only works when you know the person. There is also quite a bit of new agey beliefs in this area, so it would make more sense to me to delevop ways to reach those people rather than moving a Protestant clergy from say Methodist to Catholic. As it is, many clergy who are seekers after Truth are finding their own way into the Church.

 

[Grace_Seeker]

If you knew that you had the fullness of the Truth, wouldn’t you want to share that with others? And I’m not converting people. That simply is not my job. I’m attempting to plant a seed of truth, God takes care of the rest.

I’m sure you can tell that Christianity is divided and I don’t recall Christ calling for division and worship based on personal preference. Maybe, that’s just me though. Label me old-fashioned.

In Pax Christi
Andrew

Sharing the truth with people is commendable Andrew, but you didn’t really answer my question. Don’t you think that Protestants have the truth? After all, I don’t know a single Protestant that doesn’t confess Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord. We may disagree about temporal authority on earth, but we both say the say creeds (at least I say the Apostles’, Nicene, and ascribe to the other great ecumneical creeds of the church such as Chalecedon). You may think that I don’t partake in the fullness of Christ, and since you have been both United Methodist and Catholic maybe you know about that better than I. Or maybe you just didn’t fully understand the Methodist faith in which you were raised. But either way, we are still brothers in Christ. (And not “separated” brothers either – unless by becoming Catholic you somehow moved away from me, because I haven’t moved away from you.)

So, if you only have 24 hours to spend in a day, why try to change Protestants into Catholics? (Or what ever you cite as the reasons for sending tracts to Protestant clergy.) I don’t see how that adds to the kingdom? Why not share your faith, and the fullness of the truth you have, with non-Christians, not just non-Catholic Christians?

What SrSally said makes lots of sense to me:

it would make more sense to me to delevop ways to reach those people[new agey (and others)] rather than moving a Protestant clergy from say Methodist to Catholic.

And to repeat my original questions:

1. Are Protestants so lost that you would rather convert them from one form of Christianity to another?
2. Wouldn’t it be more kingdom building to try to reach non-Christians for Christ than Protestants for Rome?

 

[Harpazo]

And to repeat my original questions:

1. Are Protestants so lost that you would rather convert them from one form of Christianity to another?
2. Wouldn’t it be more kingdom building to try to reach non-Christians for Christ than Protestants for Rome?

I believe I already answered your questions, just not to your liking, but I digress. I’ll do it again…

1. It isn’t my job to convert them. I don’t convert them. Even though many try to convert me back to Protestantism, I simply share my faith. That’s all. Protestants clearly do not have the fullness of the Faith. If they did, they would be Catholic. I wasn’t in Christ’s Church as a Methodist, now I am. If I can just simply show the Faith to someone, that’s enough. That’s all that I do.
2. All Non-Christians see is constant bickering and division. Why can’t they see unity? There is no unity. You know this, I’m sure. We need to be united once again, and I don’t mean solely spiritually in an “invisible” Church. Because we share a common creed, does not make us united in all things. How can we all properly bring in non-Christians into the fold, if we all can’t agree on the totality of Christianity? There isn’t a section in all of Scripture that states the “essentials and non-essentials” of belief. While that’s a good idea in theory for all Christians to evangelize non-Christians, it just creates further division. Don’t get me wrong, it’s something we need to do, but if we aren’t united as we should be, what good are we really doing?

And I’m sorry to have to say this, but yes, we are separated brethren. It’s apparent, and why you cannot see that, I don’t know. Do you believe the Eucharist to be the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ? Do you believe in confessing your sins to a priest? Do you believe the Blessed Virgin Mary to be perpetually a virgin, immaculately conceived, and assumed into Heaven? If you believe in those, then why are you outside the Catholic Church?

And I’m simply not Methodist, because Christ did not found the Methodist Church. Hope that answers your questions.

In Pax Christi
Andrew

 

[Grace_Seeker]

Hope that answers your questions.

Yes, though, with respect, I think I would take a different tact than you on almost all of your points – even the idea that Christ did not found the Methodist Church. But then, again, that is probably one of the reasons I would not fit well in the present day form of the Catholic church.

 

[Windmill]

Alice vonHildebrand, in talking about her departed husband, Dietrich (whom Pope Pius XII called “The 20th Century Doctor of the Church”) had this to say:

Let me relate an incident that caused my husband grief. It was 1946, just after the war. My husband was teaching at Fordham, and there appeared in one of his classes a Jewish student who had been a naval officer during the war. He would eventually tell my husband about a particularly stunning sunset in the Pacific and how it had led him to the quest for the truth about God. He first went to Columbia to study philosophy, and he knew that this was not what he was looking for. A friend suggested he try philosophy at Fordham and mentioned the name Dietrich von Hildebrand. After just one class with my husband, he knew he had found what he was looking for. One day after class my husband and this student went for a walk. He told my husband during this time that he was surprised at the fact that several professors, after discovering he was Jewish, assured him that they would not try to convert him to Catholicism. My husband, stunned, stopped, turned to him and said, “They said what?!” He repeated the story and my husband told him, “I would walk to the ends of the earth to make you a Catholic.” To make a long story short, the young man became a Catholic, was ordained a Carthusian priest, and went on to enter the only Charter House in the United States (in Vermont)!

We need to be bold in our faith and be convicted that it is God’s will that every man, woman and child be Catholic.

 

[Mirdath]

Personally I am not in favor of random mailings. I have a feeling it is just seen as so much more junk mail on the receiving end.

Now the idea of exchanging tracts with those folks who come to your door has more merit since they would possibly have some motivation to read what you gave them.

I believe very strongly in the evangelization by example method. And that only works when you know the person. There is also quite a bit of new agey beliefs in this area, so it would make more sense to me to delevop ways to reach those people rather than moving a Protestant clergy from say Methodist to Catholic. As it is, many clergy who are seekers after Truth are finding their own way into the Church.

Speaking as a non-Catholic with a mailbox, I am in total agreement with all of this.

Windmill:

We need to be bold in our faith and be convicted that it is God’s will that every man, woman and child be Catholic.

Then set an example for us, explain your faith to the interested, and trust in God to take care of the rest – I throw out enough mail as it is

 

[Mimi]

Okay, random mailings are out.

How about mailing a book such as Hahn’s Rome Sweet Rome along with a personal note saying you are brokenhearted that this brother or sister in Christ left the Cathlic Church? I have thought about doing that for several people who are about my age and one whose parents I know as well who have left our parish.

I could send a copy of the same book to their pastor. I know a family who is not Catholic who goes to this church. It’s more of a worship community I guess as it’s a non-denominational type group.

Whaddaya think? At least including a note would let the person know who and what the sentiment is behind the gift.

Peace,
Mimi

 

[Sheeniac]

Why assume that random mailings are out? I think mailings targeted to Prot. clergy might be unwelcome, but one thing that new converts and reverts mention is that Catholics are not very inviting or likely to share their faith.

Who knows who may receive a tract right when they are in a spiritual struggle? I trust the Holy Spirit will make use of all of the work we do.

 

[Catholig]

I want to know why it is soooooo important to convert Protestants to Catholicism. Are Protestants so lost that you would rather convert them from one form of Christianity to another? Wouldn’t it be more kingdom building to try to reach non-Christians for Christ than Protestants for Rome?

Simply Catholics want protestants to convert. We also want Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Jainists, Mormons, JWs &c to convert. We want everyone to belong to the “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”.

Catholig

 

[Catholig]

I want to know why it is soooooo important to convert Protestants to Catholicism. Are Protestants so lost that you would rather convert them from one form of Christianity to another? Wouldn’t it be more kingdom building to try to reach non-Christians for Christ than Protestants for Rome?

I know that personally my motives may not be the purist - and I am hoping to improve that.

The ideal reason is to lovingly bring all people into the fullness of the Truth, and thereby recognize all catholic doctrines (e.g. Christ’s Divine & Human Will, Purgatory, Mortal and Venial Sins, Papal Authority, etc). Catholics simply can’t say that Protestantism is alright - and that protestant theological differences aren’t that important.

Catholics should want *all *people to embrace the Church - the Bride of Christ, and the Pillar of Truth, regardless of their differing origins.

Catholig

 

[Sr_Sally]

I like this idea much better. These are people that you know, that you have a certain relationship with. When you send the gift, you will also being praying for them specifically by name. You will also be available to answer their questions as they come up.

I would just suggest you do it one friend at a time!

Okay, random mailings are out.

How about mailing a book such as Hahn’s Rome Sweet Rome along with a personal note saying you are brokenhearted that this brother or sister in Christ left the Cathlic Church? I have thought about doing that for several people who are about my age and one whose parents I know as well who have left our parish.

I could send a copy of the same book to their pastor. I know a family who is not Catholic who goes to this church. It’s more of a worship community I guess as it’s a non-denominational type group.

Whaddaya think? At least including a note would let the person know who and what the sentiment is behind the gift.

Peace,
Mimi

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I have this idea that I heard from the Journey Home, when a priest talked about randomly mailing books and tracts to Protestant clergy. I thought this would be an excellent way to evangelize, except with the anonymity, there wouldn’t be a way of making exchanges back and forth. It would only be beneficial for planting seeds.

If I were to use anything, I wouldn’t create my own tracts, at least not yet. I would use the Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. Does anyone have opinions, comments, suggestions?

In Pax Christi
Andrew

Unless carefully selected I would guess that eight out of ten would not be looked at and just tossed out. a waste of time and money. It would be better to take them door to door personally, like priests and seminarians used to do many years ago during the summer months.

 

[chewchoo]

on a similar, but different approach…
with our church festival every year, raffle tickets are sold at various events around town. just a ticket selling table.
i was thinking of suggesting they add a rack to the table to hold catholic tracts, available to anyone who is interested.
would that be an effective way of reaching out to those who are curious about the catholic faith, but don’t know where to start?
thanks

 

[Grace_Seeker]

on a similar, but different approach…
with our church festival every year, raffle tickets are sold at various events around town. just a ticket selling table.
i was thinking of suggesting they add a rack to the table to hold catholic tracts, available to anyone who is interested.
would that be an effective way of reaching out to those who are curious about the catholic faith, but don’t know where to start?
thanks

You might have to point them out to people, but it certainly would reach people who were interested and be much better than spamming those who weren’t.