TOT: The Francis Effect
This week we concluded our current round of Theology On Tap. At the beginning of this series, Fr. Jacob gave a talk entitled: “The Francis Effect: Living the life of JOY!”. The audio is available below.
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Tag: Evangelization
Friday Frivolity: Church Mice
Fr. Jacob’s Christmas Challenge
Catholics Come Home: Part 6
Over the past few days we have been looking at suggestions as to what can be done to draw people back to the Catholic Church.
Today is the final post in this series. These suggestions focus on the conversations which you will have with those who have drifted away from the faith:
Catholics Come Home: Part 5
Today I continue the “Catholics Come Home” series which began a few days ago. Today the evangelization suggestions focus around parish life…
10. Your parish
It’s important to support and build up your parish home. It is to your parish that you will be inviting people. Just as you would prepare your home if you had people coming over to visit, you should help make your parish a vibrant and welcoming place.
“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another“ – John 13:34-35
Serve your parish in whatever way you think appropriate. I’d invite you to get creative! Think about what you love and then consider how this could this be used for the glory of God and for drawing people to Jesus and His Church. For example, do you love board games? Organize a board game night!
Catholics Come Home: Part 4
Yesterday I began giving my suggestions as to what can be done to encourage those who have left the Catholic Church to return home. Today I would like to pick this back up again…
5. Don’t be a Ninja Catholic
The ninjas of Japan were known for their stealth, their ability to go unnoticed. In fact, there were many legends circulated that they could even make themselves invisible. Don’t imitate ninjas in this regard!
What do I mean by this? Don’t be ashamed to be identified as Catholic. It may be as simple as praying before meals, wearing a cross or talking with your friends about parish life.
“Let your light so shine before men…” – Matthew 5:16
How will someone ask you about your faith if they don’t even know you’re a Christian?!
Catholics Come Home: Part 3
Over the last two days I have briefly shared a portion of my faith journey. During this retelling I have particularly focussed upon my ecclesiastical wanderings, mentioning some of the things which pushed me away from some congregations and drew me towards others.
As I mentioned in the initial post, this blog series was originally a talk I gave at my parish called “Catholics Come Home”. As part of my preparation I spent quite some time on the Internet reading the stories of those who had left the Catholic Church. It was a heartbreaking experience. A large number of the stories I read echoed my own. Many of the sentiments expressed were also very similar. It became clear that, more often than not, the reason someone leaves the Catholic Church is because of lack of pastoral care, rather than doctrine.
In the accounts I read, there were many complaints about the welcome experienced when attending a Catholic parish (or rather, the distinct absence thereof). Many stories were told of abysmal music and of incoherent, boring preaching. There were laments concerning the lack of community and the lack of ongoing Christian formation. There were also unfortunately quite a few incidents described where people felt poorly treated by priests, catechists and other parish staff. Careless words can cut extremely deep and have serious consequences..