Maybe you've been away from the Church for awhile. Maybe you're not sure if you want to return, but you are willing to at least take a second look. We understand. That's why we're here.
Perhaps you're not sure if you agree with or even fully understand some Catholic teachings. You may have issues concerning marriage or divorce, or even had your faith shaken by a scandal. Well, you've come to the right place. There's an old saying that goes: “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.” Many people who have left the Church, for whatever reason, still feel a mysterious, even powerful draw to come back home to Her. Like true-north, the Catholic Church tugs on the compass-arrow of the human heart in ways that can be comforting, puzzling, even unsettling. We believe that this mysterious pull comes from God. It is His way of using grace to help nudge us in the direction He wants us to go, much like a tugboat nudges an ocean liner toward the safety of the harbor. Sometimes, though, in order to navigate through the choppy water of the open sea and arrive safely in the harbor, the ship must be guided by a lighthouse. The lighthouse is there, not to “boss the ship's captain around” or make life harder, but to guide the ship to safety. Most people would agree that a wise captain heeds the directions given by the lighthouse. Well, the Catholic Church is like that lighthouse. It was established nearly 2,000 years ago by Jesus Christ and sent forth into the world to guide people to heaven. Christ told his Apostles (the original bishops of the Church) to: Even though the Catholic Church is comprised of human beings (sinners just like ourselves), what it teaches comes not from itself, but from the Lord, who established his Church “on a rock” (c.f., Matt. 16:18). When you were a kid, maybe everything the Catholic Church taught seemed so simple and easy to understand. And that's good. After all, Christ Himself declared: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Christ wants each of us to have a child-like faith, but not a child-ish faith. We have to mature in our faith. No doubt, as you grew older, things changed, life got more complicated, and the once-simple answers no longer seemed to satisfy you. Reading Sacred Scripture is the most important part of acquiring answers, re-discovering things long forgotten, and rebuilding a lost faith. But keep in mind that, as St. Peter declared, “No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of personal interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). This is where the Church's role as a guiding lighthouse comes in. Jesus told his Apostles, “He who listens to you, listens to me; and he who rejects you, rejects me” (Luke 10:16). The Lord wants us to know and understand the truth so that we can embrace it wholeheartedly and live according to it, even when the truth may be startling to us. After all, He declared that “The truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).“Go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).
St. Paul said: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
To learn more visit their website at http://www.catholicscomehome.org/
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Sacramento, CA
We, the people of God of St. Joseph Parish, in union with the Universal Church, believe in and proclaim the presence of Jesus Christ in our world. Our mission is to be a welcoming, worshipping community of faith, hope and love; to encourage and foster spiritual growth and strengthen the concept of parish family. To serve the needs of our parishioners through outreach ministries and service to others while recognizing the diversity of those we serve
Catholics Returning Home