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What
happens at the "Come Home" sessions?
In the first session, participants are greeted at the door and placed into groups
of four; a "Catholic trivia" game is suggested as an icebreaker.
The formal program begins with an opening prayer, followed
by introductory remarks that are meant to reassure and reduce
the anxiety level. Participants are allowed time to reflect
on their own situation by completing a couple of sentences
(on an index card): I came tonight because... Tonight will
be worthwhile for me if...
The introductory
remarks continue with statistics on the numbers of "fallen-away" Catholics
in the United States and Canada (an estimated 16-20 million),
and the results of a survey indicating that 40% of all lapsed
Catholics say they would come back if they felt the Church
really wanted them. The participants are assured that they
will not be judged or pressured or looked down upon during
the sessions. There follow one or two five-minute witness
talks: Why I left and why I came back...
Next, small groups
are given the opportunity to brainstorm the question: What
information would you need in order to decide whether or
not to return to the Church? After the brainstorming, each
group reports one item on their list until all of the concerns
have been logged on an overhead projector screen. The "Come
Home" Team promises during the next two sessions that mini-workshops
will be offered, addressing each item raised in the brainstorming.
Participants will be able to select two workshops each night.
For example, at previous "Come Home" Programs, mini-sessions
were held on divorce and annulment; how to go to confession;
dealing with doubts; how to pray; guilt; anger; healing the
pain of the past; the human side of the Church; how much
do I have to believe; who makes the rules, etc. On the last
night, the program concludes with a healing prayer service.
Who
does "Come Home" attract?
"Come Home" targets
people who feel separated from the Catholic Church because
of marriage difficulties, doubts, painful memories, lifestyle
issues, anger, guilt, or other reasons. Because the "Come
Home" program is nostalgia-based, it tends to draw people
in the 35 and older age groups.
The Diocese of St.
Catharines also has ongoing public service announcements,
with a message from Bishop John O'Mara inviting people to
call the "Come Home" Information Line, which has a taped
message from the bishop offering to send "Come Home" information
to callers who leave a message with their names and addresses.
How
did "Come Home" get started?
The "Come Home" Program
was designed by the Franciscan Friars at St. Francis Church
in New York City. For the Diocese of Buffalo, the program
was modified to include greater participation on the part
of lay people, witness talks, a small-group brainstorming
session, and mini-workshops which allow participants to separate
into their own areas of concern. The "Come Home" Program
for the Diocese of St. Catharines has been developed by a
team of priests and laypersons, with the encouragement of
Bishop O'Mara and the generous assistance of the team from
Buffalo. Interested parishes made a commitment to donate
money and send parish volunteers to a planning meeting. As
a result, the first diocesan "Come Home" initiative took
place in the fall of 1998 for the Welland deanery.
Who
sponsors the "Come Home" Program?
In the Diocese of
St. Catharines, the program is sponsored by groups of 10
or more parishes belonging to one or more deaneries. Lay
people from each parish form the "Come Home" Team. Each parish
donates $200 to $500 (or less, if the parish can't afford
it) to cover the costs of promotion, program, refreshments,
and follow-up. The "Come Home" Team works together to plan
and execute the program. By the end of the sessions, the
Team usually bonds into an evangelization team which can
then help plan other joint evangelization and adult education
programs for the area.
What
happens at the Team organizational meeting?
At the meeting, the
newly-formed "Come Home" Team breaks into small groups to
brainstorm two questions: What kinds of people are we trying
to reach in this "Come Home" Program? What is the best way
to reach those people in this part of the diocese? After
the brainstorming, Team members are allowed to select which
committee they want to work on.
Committees include:
Promotions: this group develops the "Come Home" promotion, and plans
the advertising and distribution of promotional materials;
Operations: this group plans the logistics of the "Come Home" sessions,
including free babysitting, a welcome group, an information table with
handouts, planning the three nights, organizing speakers for the workshop
sessions, planning a closing prayer service, etc.;
Refreshments: this group plans refreshments for the "Come Home" meetings.
Finding
a Parish that's Right for You
Since parishes have
different personalities and styles of worship, we encourage
people who are in the process of coming back to the Church
to "shop around" and find a parish where they feel comfortable
with the people, the priests, the liturgies, the music, and
the parish activities. There are parish boundaries, but feel
free to try out a variety
of parishes.
What to look for
in a parish will depend on many personal factors. Do you
have children? Then you might want to look for a parish with
children's liturgies and a religious education program that
will encourage you to participate in your child's religious
formation. Do you like traditional liturgies and music? Do
you prefer contemporary music with lots of congregational
singing? Would you feel more comfortable in a parish where
there are regular novenas, or devotions to Mary or a particular
saint? Or do you prefer a parish where there are small faith-sharing
groups or Bible study? Maybe you'd like a multicultural parish
with an emphasis on meeting the needs of the people in the
community. Maybe you'd like the sense of family in a small
parish, or you might prefer the anonymity of a large parish.
Some parishes offer Masses in other languages, even Latin.
You'll find all of this -- and much more -- in the Catholic
Church today.
If you're going back
to your childhood parish, don't expect that things will be
the same. The Church has changed, and so have you! Keep in
mind that no parish will be perfect. There will always be
things that you don't like. That's part of being human. But
in every parish, you'll find the Mass, the Eucharist, the
sacraments, and the Holy Spirit touching people's lives and
showering them with love.
As you search
for a parish, don't look only for how the parish can
meet your needs. Look also at how you can use your gifts
and talents to become an active part of the parish community.
To help you begin your search, we've compiled a list of
the parish that sponsored the "Come Home" Program. Don't
worry if one of the parishes you're interested in does
not appear on this list. The "Come Home" Program evolved
as a kind of grassroots effort among participating parishes
in Regional Niagara. There are lots of wonderful parishes
out there which weren't part of this particular "Come Home" Program.
So don't assume that because a certain parish is not on
the list that there's something wrong. If you have any
questions about any parish in the Diocese of St. Catharines,
please feel free to ask one of the "Come
Home" priests or team members.
A
Final Note from Most Rev. John A. O'Mara, Bishop (Emeritus)
of St. Catharines:
"I am fortunate that
there is such energy and talent here among the priests and
lay people on the "Come Home" Team, which makes all of this
easy to accomplish. We are all in it together. It makes us
a better Church. As we talk, and share, and listen, it does
something to us. We evangelize ourselves. It is all a growth
experience. The more we get involved in this, the more we
grow, and the more reflective of God's grace our community
and our Church become. The reward is when people tell us
that they have returned to the practice of the faith. There
is a glow on their faces. It tells me that all of this is
very much worth it."
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