The Journey

You are most welcome to share on this website the story of your journey home to Jesus. Just as God creates us as uniquely as our fingerprints, so too are our stories of how we left the sacraments and, more importantly, why we came home. Sharing your joy is a great way to thank Jesus for this sacred gift that is our Catholic faith and to inspire others to return. To get started ...
Email us at: welcomehomecatholics@yahoo.com

Like a lot of people, I quit going to church when I started college. Unlike many, I didn’t go back to Mass afterward. It was about 15 years later that I accepted the fact that it’s not enough to just believe, I needed God’s Church back in my life. I started going back to Mass, but the truth is, I had developed some bad habits over those 15 years, and they didn’t go away just because I wished they would. I would go to Mass one week, then miss 2, or go three weeks in a row before skipping Mass again. I knew I needed help. So, one Sunday after Communion, I admitted to God that I couldn’t do this by myself. I asked him to send someone into my life to help me stay on track. Then Father read the announcements. One of them was that the parish was hosting a program for lapsed Catholics struggling to return to the Church. First thing I did was look to heaven and pray,” What took you so long?” The next thing I did was sign up for the program. That was over thirty years ago, and thanks to the good people of St Thomas Parish in Naperville Illinois, I’ve never looked back.

 

Pat M. Our Savior Parish, Mobile, AL