How can I help my family and friends come home to the Catholic Church?
It can be very painful when a loved one leaves the Church. Whether it is a son or daughter, a friend, a relative, a co-worker or even a total stranger you’ve met who has left the Church, there are some effective things you can say and do to help them come home.
This section is dedicated to providing you with resources that will help you help them. There’s no need to “reinvent the wheel.” We’ll show you here, from the wisdom of the saints and those who have successfully been able—by God’s grace—to reach out with the truth of the Catholic faith in a respectful, appealing, effective manner the ways that can change negative attitudes toward the Catholic Church.
There are many excellent resources to help you share the truths of Catholicism with others in a charitable and helpful way. First of all, pray, pray, pray for the souls of those who are away! Also keep in mind that the Bible tells us about how we should (and shouldn’t) share our faith:
2 Timothy 2:24-25: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth.”
1 Peter 3:15: “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence….”
1 Corinthians 13:2: “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
No more excuses…Share your faith!
Apologetics tools for sharing, proclaiming, and defending the Faith
• Check out the web site on evangelization from the U.S. Bishops
• New Advent Catholic Supersite
• The Fellowship of Catholic University Students
• Envoy Magazine’s Web site: free articles on apologetics
• EWTN: great materials, including audio and video tools
• Catholic Answers: free resources on how to explain and defend the Faith
• Catholics United for the Faith: excellent materials on apologetics
• Scripture Catholic: biblical basis for the Faith plus the early Church Fathers
• Catholic Evangelism
• Crossroads Initiative