In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul calls upon the Corinthians to be reconciled to God. He then adds these words: “Behold now is a very acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). With these words, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians (and us!), that there are certain moments in life when we can and should respond to the grace of God. There are certain moments when God offers us an opportunity to renew and change our lives. And it is at these moments that we must respond to God’s grace.

Our Welcome Back program, which begins this Thursday, November 6 ^th, at 7:00 PM, in the lower church hall, is such a moment. The program does not seek to condemn or judge others but to listen to them and, if they respond, welcome them back.

The program works in this way. First it begins with a brief talk about what is essential about our Catholic Faith. For example, this week we will speak about “God in Christ, and Christ in Us.” The purpose of this initial presentation is to highlight that which is most important, that which is most beautiful, about our Catholic faith.

Second, after this initial presentation, we will break up into small groups led by our Stephen Minsters and other members of our parish. The purpose of these small groups is to allow people to explain why they are present and why they no longer practice of their faith. These are listening session.

Third, the evening will conclude with a larger group discussion in which we will report on what has been said in the smaller group and deal with some of the big issues that have kept people from practicing their Catholic faith. Here we will address, as best we can, those issues that are bothersome and troublesome to those who no longer practice their faith.

We will repeat this process on the Thursdays of November 13 and 20. Then, on Tuesday, December 2, we will have a service of reconciliation for those who wish to renew their Catholic faith.

There has been a core committee that has worked on this program, but if the program is to succeed it needs your help.

Do you know someone who no longer practices his or her faith? It may be a friend, a colleague, a family member. If you do—and we all do these days—invite him or her to our Welcome Back program. Simply say, “Do you know what they are doing at our parish? Why don’t you give it a try? This could be a moment of God’s grace for you.