CV NEWS FEED // The Catholic Stand has just released the eighth part of a series of articles aimed at bringing lapsed Catholics back to the Church with common-sense arguments.
As CatholicVote reported in March, the “Bring ‘Em Back!” series deals with different reasons with which fallen-away Catholics often excuse themselves from attending Mass or returning to the Church.
In the eighth part, the article responded to the excuse “I don’t feel welcome at my parish” with an obvious solution: change parishes.
“Since parishes usually take on the personality of the pastor, some parishes may lean left, some may be moderate, and some may lean right, the Catholic Stand wrote. “Consider, however, that there are over 17,500 Catholic parishes in the U.S. It should not be that difficult to find a parish in which your friend or loved one feels comfortable.”
The article added that the first step is to identify why someone feels uncomfortable at church. Sometimes it can be because they are treated differently based on appearances, despite Catholics’ best efforts to love their neighbors.
The article also suggested that going to the same Mass and sitting in the same part of the church every Sunday helps with familiarity and establishes the person as a “regular.”
“In small or medium sized parishes, parishioners tend to know or at least recognize other parishioners. So a new face does stand out,” the Catholic Stand wrote. “But even in large parishes this can sometimes be the case. Once a new face gets to be a familiar face, however ‘the regulars’ may become friendlier.”
However, sometimes the cause of feeling uncomfortable at Mass is a bit deeper and more personal. If someone only feels comfortable around friends and family, is self-conscious or unhappy, or feels a lot of guilt for something, those factors can play into a feeling of rejection or unwelcomeness.
“For instance, maybe the person has been using artificial contraception for many years knowing this is a sin, but has not been confessing it because the person’s poorly formed conscience won’t let him or her accept it as a sin. On top of this the person continued to receive Communion,” the article suggested. “[I]f you are able to get the person to open up, suggest to the person that he or she make an appointment to talk to a priest privately … Gently remind the person that God is merciful. God will forgive them.”
The article continued:
Ask questions and listen to the answers, but be ready for a zig zag. It could just be that “not feeling welcome” is only a ready excuse for why the individual is not going to Mass.
And, once again, remind the person that the devil is always trying to separate us from God. Keeping holy the Lord’s Day is a Commandment that was given to us for our sake. He does not command us to worship Him because He needs to be worshipped. Keeping His day Holy refreshes our immortal souls.
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