Catholics Coming Home

Fr. John Metzinger

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*Catholics Coming Home*
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Returning Home to the Catholic Church

If you are a Catholic who has been away from the Church, this invitation is for YOU! Our Faith Community misses you and is incomplete without you! No matter how long you have been away and for whatever reason, we invite you to consider renewing your relationship with the Catholic Church.

Please join us at St. John's for informal listening sessions and an update of the Catholic faith facilitated by lay people including former non-practicing Catholics.

A series of meetings are held for Catholics who have stopped actively practicing their faith. Those attending are given an opportunity to "get things off their chest" or to find out how the Church has changed while they have been gone. The environment of the meetings is non-judgmental and welcoming.

Contact: Jami Fenner, (405)286-3779

For information about Catholics Coming Home, call the Parish office at 340-0691 and ask for Deacon Gary Peterson or send us e-mail.

10 Reasons to Come Back to

the Catholic Church

Life might hang together a little better for you.
You’ll get . . .a sense of closeness to God, a shot in the arm to carry on, a challenge to your sluggishness . . . out of it.
We need to give our: * TIME * TALENT * TREASURE * SELVES . . . to the Lord. After all, He gave them to us in the first place.
The Church has changed in the past 20 years, it is more flexible, yet still led by God.
God loves us and wants us to know it. The Christian community celebrating together is a sign of that LOVE.
We need the support of others: * spouse * parents * children * family * friends in a common experience of worship with them.
We’re proud of the ideals the Church proposes: * upholding human equality * the sacredness of life * world peace based on justice for all.
The Holy Spirit is causing new, exciting movements to happen in the Church.
Jesus came to save sinners - that’s us, all of us. Penance and the Eucharist strengthen us to greater faithfulness.
Your family and friends are praying for you to return. WE MISS YOU! Sure, we’ve got hundreds of people at Mass each Sunday, but we miss YOU not being one of them.

HAVE YOU MISSED US TOO? THINK ABOUT IT!

The Ministry

Catholics Coming Home is a collaborative effort among several parishes in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, reaching out to inactive Catholics. This program is supported by the participating parishes. On this page you will find:

An invitation
10 reasons to come back to the Church
Where to call

An Invitation to You

We invite Catholics who feel separated from the Church, for any reason, to Come Home! We care, we miss you, and we are sorry for any pain we, the Church, may have caused you.

Come and tell your story to friendly, caring persons (lay or ordained, your choice). It will be an opportunity to express your feelings of why you no longer join us.

Remember, God wants to welcome you back, especially if you are looking for answers to questions in your life. God has provided such answers for thousands of people through local parishes. This might be the year to give us a second chance and consider Coming Home.

The Catholics Coming Home ministry attempts to reach out to alienated and inactive Catholics in a loving, Christ-like manner. Every effort is made to be non-threatening and non-judgmental with our guests.

Compassion

Compassion and patience will be our stance and the broken and wounded Christ (broken and wounded Church) will be the backdrop for those who have been away. . . who are hurting, confused, broken, angry, frustrated, and for one reason or another felt alienated by the Church.

Shades of Gray

We are not attempting to solve problems, nor do we have all the answers. Rather than black and white, we acknowledge the grayness of life in which we all must live.

Peace

We are conscious of our role as instruments of peace and reconciliation and are available to all who come to us. We accept the person where he or she is and not where we, or anyone else, think they should be.

Respect

There is a whole new experience of Church available in today¹s Church which emphasizes respect for the feelings and conscience of the individual, and support of a genuinely concerned Christian community, and the care of a loving God who embraces us all. This is not the "saved" welcoming the "sinners". We are not blind to the hurt the Church may have caused someone.

Testimonies

“I never knew anyone cared I had left the Catholic Church . . . and no one ever invited me back, until now!”

“Somewhere along the line, years and years ago, joy went out of my life. Things happened. My marriage fell apart. I figured I was out of the Church. I couldn’t go to communion. I got a lot of bad information. You’ve given me something I didn’t ever think I’d get back. I’ve started a journey. The trip may take a while, but I’ve started. I’m coming back.”

“I returned to the Eucharist, and returning to the Eucharist returned me to myself. Here were my roots. I was able to cast aside problems that seemed insurmountable. I held in my heart what was important and consuming. I was whole again.”

Send email to rshaffer@stjohn-catholic.org with questions or comments about this web site.