INVITING OTHERS

The mission of proclaiming the word of God is the task of all the disciples of Jesus Christ based on their baptism. No believer in Christ can feel dispensed from this responsibility." - Pope Benedict XVI, The Word of the Lord, #94
 

What's the Situation?

 

Catholics in the DIocese of Lansing

34% of registered Catholics in the diocese attend weekly Mass.
 

Catholics in the United States

52% of Catholics have left the Church at some point in the last 10 years.
 

The good news - 8 million of them are open to returning.

"My sisters and brothers of this Diocese of Lansing, I need you to seek out a lost sheep and invite him or her back to the fold. As you read [the information on this page], think of which person you will approach. It will take time and prayer, patience and love, but the Holy Spirit will guide you in your efforts...With prayer, good example, and yes, even invitation, we yearn for that person's return. If and when that happens, we continue to accompany him or her as best we can." - Bishop Earl Boyea

 

How do we start? - The 4 Pillars

 

Prayer forms the foundation for all our evangelization efforts because the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization. We are being called to commit to pray for non-practicing Catholics.

 

Our greatest witness comes primarily through the way we live and secondarily through our words. We must always be prepared to share the Good News with others.

 

Inviting others back to the Church is a vital step in the evangelization process. Often times, it begins with inviting them to your home, a sports game or somewhere else.

 

We need to walk with people as much as possible through every step of their faith journeys. In order to do this most effectively, we may need to rethink how involved we are in our loved ones’ lives.

 

Make a personal plan

Begin your plan with step one and try to work your way through all five steps.

  1. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind someone in your life who is no longer coming to church. Write down his / her name.
  2. How will you pray for him / her?
  3. How can you share your faith with him / her?
  4. What could you invite him / her to?
  5. How could you accompany him / her?
 

What can I say to them?

  • "Have you ever thought about returning to church?"
  • "Can I share with you one reason I go to church?"
  • "Have you noticed that people [our age] are talking more about going to church?"
 

Resources

 
 
 
 
 
Our modern world “listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if [they do] listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses." - Paul VI