Outreach to Inactive Catholics

  • Thread starter Thread starter Evets
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
E

Evets

Guest
I am helping to create an Outreach to Inactive Catholics ministry at my parish. We are considering the “Catholics Returning Home” program and the “Landings” program. Does anyone have experience with either program? If so, can you let me know the pros and cons? Thanks, Steve
 
I don’t have experience with either program but I will be interested in following this thread. I want to start a similar program in my parish and have my pastor’s blessing.

I’ve read a number of books. So far the one I’ve liked the best is Catholics Can Come Home Again by Carrie Kemp. (Here’s the entry on Amazon.) It’s about the Catholics Coming Home program.

We’re in the planning stages now. I want to have everything in place so that in December – and especially at Masses at Christmas – we can do outreach and have the program start right after the New Year. I figure that people who come to Mass at Christmas and Easter have retained at least some connection with the Church and might want to explore the possibility of coming home.
 
Just wanted to put this out one more time…Sorry for the repeat…

I am helping to create an Outreach to Inactive Catholics ministry at my parish. We are considering the “Catholics Returning Home” program and the “Landings” program. Does anyone have experience with either program? If so, can you let me know the pros and cons? Thanks, Steve
 
We look at several different programs and decided that all were way too expensive and just developed our own. It has worked very well for 5 years and is continuing to be used.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
We look at several different programs and decided that all were way too expensive and just developed our own. It has worked very well for 5 years and is continuing to be used.
Click to expand...
What do you do in your program? How is it structured?
 
I went through the Landings training program which was supported by the Diocese. It is very structured and has a good track record. However, in spite of some good effort by our parish organizer we have never had anyone avail themselves of our program. I think it is a very good program nonetheless.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
Look here:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=1887492#poststop

The most important component is the Ongoing Adult Faith Formation program after returning. Because the number one reason why they left in the first place was that they never properly understood the Catholic Faith and practice in the first place.
Click to expand...
What kind of response do you get? How many people show up the first week (typically)? Do they stay for the whole six weeks or do you see dropouts? Do you have a sense of how many continue coming to Mass or get involved with the parish afterward?

On one side I tell myself that if you reach even one person that’s a wonderful thing, but truthfully, I want to reach the world. 🙂
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
What kind of response do you get? How many people show up the first week (typically)? Do they stay for the whole six weeks or do you see dropouts? Do you have a sense of how many continue coming to Mass or get involved with the parish afterward?

On one side I tell myself that if you reach even one person that’s a wonderful thing, but truthfully, I want to reach the world. 🙂
Click to expand...
We do advertise in the local paper a few weeks before and have had a parish open-house again announced just before the sessions, open to anyone. General questions about the parish and the Catholic faith are answered. The returning Catholics, RCIA, Adult Ed programs are displayed.

We have had from 3 to 10 start and from 3 to 8 finish all six weeks. Most are still at Mass either here or at another parish.
 
Landings is a program from the Paulists, which is a Catholic religious order based out of NYC which is heavily lay people. (I see the original poster is from New Jersey.) I imagine that Landings is doctrinally sound. A parish apostolate that I am involved in has had speakers from the Paulists several times talking about evangelizing to fallen away Catholic family members. When the apostolate proposed to have the Paulists speak to us, two different parish priests indicated a little discomfort with the Paulists but ultimately approved our request. As it turns out, the speakers (laymen) were well-intentioned but scandalized some devout Catholics by criticizing the Catholic Church as harsh and by suggesting that it is okay for a returning Catholic to receive Communion before going to Confession. A program for returning Catholics (or any religious education) should never water down our Catholic faith for the sake of expediency–IMHO!
 
Thanks for the insight, Donna. Our parish has decided to try the Catholics Returning Home program.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top