Request for advice on reaching out to lapsed Catholics

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I’m working with my pastor on an outreach group focused on lapsed Catholics. Each week, we’ll be reading the coming Sunday’s Bible readings and talking together. The purpose is to bring people who have stopped coming to mass (or joined other congregations) back to the Church.

Has anyone had experience reaching out to lapsed Catholics? Any advice on the best approaches to recruit such people? Please, your personal stories would be very valuable. What works? What doesn’t? What are the most common complaints that lapsed Catholics have about the Church?

THANK YOU!!!
 
This is a noble and enormous undertaking.

“Statistics” show that Catholicism is the largest religion in the USA. The #2 religion is lapsed Catholics. So there are tens of millions to choose from. There is likely not a man-made, one- size-fits-all approach. So hopefully you will receive many good responses, all with some merit.

I teach 8th grade catechism and confirmation prep. Surprisingly, many of my students’ parents are lapsed or attend Sunday mass infrequently at best. Yet they want their children to share the faith. Our parish is starting a ministry to reach out to them, as it seems that many children of the 70’s & 80’s who are now parents are in desperate need of real catechesis.

A good saying is “preach/live the Gospel, and use words when needed!”

May the Holy Spirit inspire you to be a great messenger.
 
I used to be part of a large Protestant church. 1/3 of our congregation were lapsed Catholics. Indeed there is a large group to target.

I’d start by looking at those who were registered in past years but don’t give anything. I wouldn’t mention giving, but as a way to see those who used to be connected and now aren’t. Give them a call. I think you’ll be amazed at some of the responses.

Secondly offer what the Protestant Churches are offering which is drawing many away. Bible studies, small groups etc. I would even look at a lot of Protestant Bible studies to see the types of things which they are being drawn away with.

Thirdly, You will need to know both Protestant and Catholic Apologetics to counter what they have been taught in the Protestant churches.

That should take a bit of time.

Good luck.
 
I’m speaking as a former lapsed (collapsed!) Catholic; right or wrong thinking, this is how my mind worked:

For myself, I didn’t want/need Bible studies for the upcoming week. I just needed someone to care. A phone call, a card, a knock on the door leaving a brochure… I knew the Church was there; I needed someone in it to care that I wasn’t there.

While we were away from the Church, we were rarely asked (by either Protestants or Catholics) about our attending Church. Only our one neighbor asked us to go to her church. We declined, as it wasn’t a Catholic church. Our neighbor the former Protestant minister didn’t invite us to their church. Nor did our family across town.

It would have been nice to be noticed, to be asked, to be invited.

Different approaches work for different people.

You have a great idea; I thought of doing something to reach out to fallen away Catholics in our parish as well, but more along the lines of just letting them know people do care, and inviting them to Mass, to Confession, to activities already going on.
 
IF anyone has any success in this I would love to hear about it. I have a family full of lapsed Catholics. So far what I’ve tried is: send some of them, books about various saints for Christmas presents. I’ve gotten some of them green scapulars. At Christmas and Easter I usually write a message reminding them that God exists, and will always love them no matter how far they stray.

Of course I always keep them in my prayers. So there has only been minimal success. My brothers family (actually sister in law and a couple of their kids) became Catholic because their kids were into CYO sports. My oldest sister became Catholic fairly recently because my niece and brother in law were Catholics.

SOmetimes, I just wish I could transplant a little bit of my faith back into them, but for now, every once in a while I try to give them a gentle nudge… it sometimes gets us into some heated debates. Some of them are pro-choice, very liberal, or pro gay rights as in same sex marriage etc.
 
fnr said:
I’m working with my pastor on an outreach group focused on lapsed Catholics. Each week, we’ll be reading the coming Sunday’s Bible readings and talking together. The purpose is to bring people who have stopped coming to mass (or joined other congregations) back to the Church.

Has anyone had experience reaching out to lapsed Catholics? Any advice on the best approaches to recruit such people? Please, your personal stories would be very valuable. What works? What doesn’t? What are the most common complaints that lapsed Catholics have about the Church?

THANK YOU!!!
Click to expand...

Here is something you may wish to try. It’s a short Catholic invite to return. Just leave in on the doorknob. Very little cost and easy to distribute.​

For Catholics who may want to renew their faith again in Jesus.

Are you missing “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.”
Remember your first holy communion, your closeness to Jesus. It can be that way again, you can come back to him and receive him again in your heart and experience his peace.

Even if you have had several marriages, it might be possible.
We want to help you find him again, and to work things out.

Just give us a ring and we will take it from there.
Our phone number is 999-999-9999, just say you would like to talk to Father about a personal matter.​

This has an informal tone.
It appeals to what catholics value the most…Holy Communion, peace.
It assures them that they will have Father’s help.
It is pointed at catholics.
It is simple to read and unclumbered with info they don’t need to start off.

Of course you would need Father’s approval.

I would also suggest that parishoners are asked for 3 Hail Marys a day for one month to pray for the grace that Catholics respond to the invite. They could do this by handing in their initials on a piece of paper in the collection. And are told that this does not bind them under sin if they miss.
 
I’m currently writing a short series of blogs aimed at people who have abandoned Christianity in favour of Eastern spiritualities. My latest focuses on Scripture because many people have difficulties with it. Perhaps its a problem which applies to many other of the lapsed too. This might be worth bearing in mind when talking about the Bible readings-

Pearls of Wisdom, Who Needs #Buddha 2?
And here we have a problem. Many may indeed pick up the Sacred Scriptures seeking insight but will, like I once did, soon put them down again as being way too full of Angry God and not full enough of Hippy Jesus. Not only this but the jumble of formats- Histories, Laws, Prophecies, Poetry, Gospels, Letters and so on is confusing and daunting. The legacy too of the “Reformation” is that many of us start from the assumption that all the equipment we need to understand the text is the ability to read since every man or woman is qualified to be their own Pope. The fallacy in that argument should be apparent as soon as it is stated. Unless we are historians and lawyers and poets and textual critics how could we expect to grasp the complexity of this interwoven fabric composed and compiled over centuries? Catholics at least are urged to read the Scriptures “with the mind of the Church” which is to say that there have been 2000 years of reflection and commentary on these texts and we should be aware of the fruits of that while we read
Click to expand...
 
=fnr;11621593]I’m working with my pastor on an outreach group focused on lapsed Catholics. Each week, we’ll be reading the coming Sunday’s Bible readings and talking together. The purpose is to bring people who have stopped coming to mass (or joined other congregations) back to the Church.
Click to expand...
Has anyone had experience reaching out to lapsed Catholics? Any advice on the best approaches to recruit such people? Please, your personal stories would be very valuable. What works? What doesn’t? What are the most common complaints that lapsed Catholics have about the Church?
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!!!
Click to expand...
THANK you BOTH!

Ask your parishioners if they would supply the names and contact information if they have it of any FALLEN Away Catholics. Then personal one on one contact in a VERY friendly, NON-challenging manner just asking “why” they left and PRAY much for the Holy Spirits guidance.👍

God Bless you, let us know of your successes.
Patrick
 
Consider becoming friends with a few of them, in a natural way, not a tactical way.

Sincere friendship is needed in matters as intimate as the soul.

Then become a better friend. To become a better friend, we have to become better ourselves. More patient, more attentive, more hospitable, more generous, less self focused, more smiles, more sacrifices, more certain and studied of our own doctrine, a better pray-er, etc.
 
fred_conty said:

Here is something you may wish to try. It’s a short Catholic invite to return. Just leave in on the doorknob. Very little cost and easy to distribute.​

For Catholics who may want to renew their faith again in Jesus.

Are you missing “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.”
Remember your first holy communion, your closeness to Jesus. It can be that way again, you can come back to him and receive him again in your heart and experience his peace.

Even if you have had several marriages, it might be possible.
We want to help you find him again, and to work things out.

Just give us a ring and we will take it from there.
Our phone number is 999-999-9999, just say you would like to talk to Father about a personal matter.​

This has an informal tone.
It appeals to what catholics value the most…Holy Communion, peace.
It assures them that they will have Father’s help.
It is pointed at catholics.
It is simple to read and unclumbered with info they don’t need to start off.

Of course you would need Father’s approval.

I would also suggest that parishoners are asked for 3 Hail Marys a day for one month to pray for the grace that Catholics respond to the invite. They could do this by handing in their initials on a piece of paper in the collection. And are told that this does not bind them under sin if they miss.
Click to expand...
If you leave such a note with a number, make sure the calls get answered. Don’t let people making the effort of contacting the church fall through the cracks. They are a hurting soul, one ignored call could make the difference, they just may give up. They are not just a name to add to a list of potentials, it is a name of a person with a hurting soul that has reached out…make sure you reach back.
 
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