Catholics Come Home

[franciscanheart]

So, our church is pretty heavy on Catholics Come Home for Christmas. I imagine a lot of parishes are. While I totally support and respect the idea of Catholics coming home at/around/for Christmas, I find many are reluctant to do so for one very silly reason: the crowds.

 

I invited two people to come to Mass with me for Christmas (various times of day, since I would be there anyway and one has a small child) and both of them said, "I would love to come to Mass / see your church / hear that music / introduce my kid to Jesus, but the CROWDS will be ridiculous."

 

Fair enough. Your heart isn't on fire for Christ, of course you think of reasons not to go. I get it. And I'm not judging.

 

But it's exactly the reason I don't get very behind Catholics Come Home for Christmas. Because so much emphasis is placed on them being there on Christmas day, not necessarily during the Christmas season.

 

Anyone else?

 

A reminder to myself and others in my spot: Don't forget to invite them again... maybe when the crowds wane. Jesus is waiting, and you could help them see it.

[Nihil Obstat]

I try to invite people on special occasions that are outside of Christmas and Easter for that reason. Just as beautiful, but you do not need to fight crowds. The Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, Corpus Christi, St Anthony.
Thing is, nobody ever takes me up on it because for them it is not a special occasion, so why bother? I dunno. It is a catch-22. The people we try to bring back are at least open to the idea on Christmas and Easter.

[Gabriela]

I personally don't like the crowds at Mass, either, but I go because... well, I'm Catholic. I much prefer daily Masses and feel I "get more out of them" prayer-wise, because it's so much quieter and I worry less about what's going on around me.

 

If I were you, I'd talk to your priests about celebrating some kind of special Mass, then invite them to that. Our Christ the King procession is BEAUTIFUL, and it's well attended here, but in other places I should think that wouldn't be a super big deal. If you make it really beautiful, it'd be a great way to re-introduce people to the Church.

 

Or invite them to a Vespers and Benediction. Something "less high profile", but still really inspiring, you know?

 

Also, I have at least one colleague who got super excited when I told her we may be getting a TLM. She told me to definitely let her know if that happens, because she wants to go. Even though she hasn't been to Mass in decades.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Gabriela

[Basilisa Marie]

Well, at least in my area, only one or two of the Christmas masses will be full of people. Usually it's the 5pm on Christmas Eve, or 11am Christmas day. So maybe go for midnight mass? 

[Not The Philosopher]

My mom - the one lapsed Catholic I knew very well - actually did revert to the Church around last Christmas. I didn't have much of a chance to do any inviting to Mass on my end, as she had spent all of my years as a Catholic living in a different town. But now we go to Mass together.

I suppose that doesn't really address the substance of the OP.

I've tended to find at least a degree of curiosity amongst non-Catholics about the Mass - perhaps because it is something slightly exotic as opposed to something they already have impressions from childhood of. Only one has so far actually attended with me, though.

[franciscanheart]

Well, at least in my area, only one or two of the Christmas masses will be full of people. Usually it's the 5pm on Christmas Eve, or 11am Christmas day. So maybe go for midnight mass?

At my parish, we host about 1500-2000 people per Mass. We have six. The only Mass that tends to not be standing-room-only (read: packed-in-like-sardines-and-also-maybe-standing-outside) is Midnight Masss -- but even then you'll be making friendly thighs with the person next to you. So there's not really an option for a "not crowded" Mass. To me, the midnight Mass is perfect because you aren't packed in like sardines, but to anyone not used to it, it would still feel that way.
 

My mom - the one lapsed Catholic I knew very well - actually did revert to the Church around last Christmas. I didn't have much of a chance to do any inviting to Mass on my end, as she had spent all of my years as a Catholic living in a different town. But now we go to Mass together.

I suppose that doesn't really address the substance of the OP.

I've tended to find at least a degree of curiosity amongst non-Catholics about the Mass - perhaps because it is something slightly exotic as opposed to something they already have impressions from childhood of. Only one has so far actually attended with me, though.

This campaign is geared specifically toward lapsed Catholics. There are billboards, radio ads, TV commercials, and all kinds of printed materials mailed. We are also urged to pass them out, send emails, and extend personal invitations. It's a bit suffocating and I'm not even a lapsed Catholic! 
 

I personally don't like the crowds at Mass, either, but I go because... well, I'm Catholic. I much prefer daily Masses and feel I "get more out of them" prayer-wise, because it's so much quieter and I worry less about what's going on around me.
 
If I were you, I'd talk to your priests about celebrating some kind of special Mass, then invite them to that. Our Christ the King procession is BEAUTIFUL, and it's well attended here, but in other places I should think that wouldn't be a super big deal. If you make it really beautiful, it'd be a great way to re-introduce people to the Church.
 
Or invite them to a Vespers and Benediction. Something "less high profile", but still really inspiring, you know?
 
Also, I have at least one colleague who got super excited when I told her we may be getting a Traditional Latin Mass. She told me to definitely let her know if that happens, because she wants to go. Even though she hasn't been to Mass in decades.

Our Mass is always really beautiful - which is why I'm thinking it's silly to try to invite them to a Mass like this when their first concern is crowds (aka: inconvenience). I can see why in our parish specifically, this would be a big deal; we have the Festival Brass, strings, and an amazing selection of music. But for the other parishes in our diocese? The ones whose music programs are more of a "bless their hearts" than a "those people must be paid" situation? Why invite them to Christmas then? Why not the first week of Advent? Why not Epiphany? Feast of the Holy Family?

We don't have grand processions here -- it's the one of the things I think we could do better -- but certainly our parish in particular has plenty of grand Sundays that would be more than enough to invite someone back.

And that brings me to this: why try to invite them back during a highly emotional and particularly festive time? I mean, sure: celebrate with us during great feasts. But ... it almost feels like emotional manipulation? I don't know...

I clearly need to collect my thoughts and come back to this...
 

I try to invite people on special occasions that are outside of Christmas and Easter for that reason. Just as beautiful, but you do not need to fight crowds. The Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, Corpus Christi, St Anthony.
Thing is, nobody ever takes me up on it because for them it is not a special occasion, so why bother? I dunno. It is a catch-22. The people we try to bring back are at least open to the idea on Christmas and Easter.

I feel that. I'm going to keep after it. I wish Corpus Christi wasn't so far away...

[Amppax]

Huh, the focus around here is very different with regards to this. Here, there's an understanding that there will be plenty of nominal/lapsed/etc type Catholics at Christmas masses, so they make special announcements about different things that can help them reintegrate into the faith. Personally, I like that approach a lot better. 

 

[superblue]

I like this topic FranciscanHeart,

 

I can understand why a diocese would push this around Christmas, or the day of, the atmosphere is a joyous one, and the emphasis of Christ on Christmas instead of the commercialism of the entire season. But then  you invite these lapsed Catholics or non, and the deacon or priest politely announces to refrain from communion if you are not a practicing catholic, or a visitor, to simply come up for a blessing at most.  That to me could be kind of awkward for some... Hey I was invited and now I am being excluded, why, so people have to be prepared for that question...

 

I would flip the question and ask why is it pushed so hard only once a year ? Why not make a Catholics Come Home  ( Year long campaign )

 

maybe that is really our jobs as Catholics to be pushing, to speak to our religious directors and our parish priest / bishop, to organize something like this to where we are inviting  lapsed Catholics / non Catholics to any mass, and afterwards hold some kind of Q n A after wards in the parish hall,,, something.  Not everyone knows of Catholic forums, or Catholic radio stations,

 

I am working on getting my younger brother back into the faith, I feel my other siblings and my dad might be more inclined to reconsider things if they see their brothers / sons are still going. 

 

 

[franciscanheart]

There wasn't an announcement, best I can remember, about how to receive or not receive -- or, rather, whether to receive or not receive. That is not an announcement made every Sunday at our parish. I know it is made at weddings, but I don't think at many other Masses during the year. I was present for two full Masses (so, two opportunities to hear that kind of message) and don't remember it at either. Maybe they had them at the sardines Masses? Don't know.

I can't even wrap my brain around how much money they must spend trying to get people to come to church. Which is awesome. It just seems like really bad timing and really out-of-touch marketing. But maybe I'm just being one of those crazy secular youngsters who doesn't understand anything; I'm not excluding the possibility.

[superblue]

ya same here the announcements are usually made on weddings and Christmas, funerals,  times when there are visitors attending with those who are practicing Catholics,

 

I didn't even consider money being spent on attracting people to the Church, and i don't think you are out in left field, you seem to know just as much as anyone else pretends to know ( see what i did there, so funny )

 

in the end i just figure it is a group effort to bring others into the Church and ultimately to Christ and God, we get others interested, curious, get a conversation started, or get them to put a foot in the door, the priest then does his part, and then God / Christ / everyone in heaven does the rest.

 

Or maybe it is God / Christ and all of heaven moving us in unison to get everything done , i dunno the order of things sometimes.

 

anyhow good topic.

 

 

[franciscanheart]

My brother attends youth group events at a local church. Best I can tell, it's non-denom. He was deeply uncomfortable there for a while because the youth pastor questioned him so aggressively about the merit of his Catholic faith. He explained all he could and offered to have him speak also with our parish's youth director and our pastor. He started attending because his friends go there and invited him along. He's been to church there several times and enjoys being a part of with those young men.

 

I try to remember all of this when I'm dealing with my own friends. Why are we so hesitant to invite people to Mass? If nothing else, it's a cultural experience. I invite several of my good friends to come with me all the time. Their responses are often less than warm; I get the "you must be crazy" look a lot. They often tell me how glad they are that I'm happy in faith but it's just not their thing. I used to let my feelings get hurt by their responses; eventually I learned to pity their ignorance -- not in a high and mighty way, but in a true "if they only knew" way.

 

Anyway, I'm going to invite those two women to Mass with me again next week. We'll see...