Catholics Come Home In the News

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Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.

What strikes you most from Luke’s account of the Annunciation?

In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

Jesus is coming! Prepare the way of the Lord!


POLITICS OR JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS?

Atlanta (Roswell), GA —This Friday (December 16th), just in time for Christmas, Catholics Come Home® begins airing a massive, national prime-time network television evangelization initiative airing December 16, 2011 through January 8, 2012.

With the Presidential Primaries starting and the U.S. Presidential Election just months away, Americans are looking for someone to help answer their most critical needs.  Over 38,000 families, coast to coast, are so certain that Jesus delivers our true hope and real change that they are investing nearly $4,000,000 into this inviting, albeit countercultural, grassroots message” says Tom Peterson, President and Founder of Catholics Come Home, Inc.

Presidential political ads will soon need to share the national spotlight with these bilingual evangelization ads, blanketing the prime-time network airwaves and highlighting the benefits of Jesus and His Church. The Hollywood-quality ads will reach 250 million television viewers in over 10,000 U.S. cities in every TV market throughout the United States, airing over 400 times during the Christmas and New Year’s seasons.   The Catholics Come Home® commercials air on major networks including: CBS, NBC, Univision, TBS, USA, TNT, CNN, FoxNews, etc…during shows like 60 Minutes, NCIS, Bones, NBC Nightly News , the Today Show, Jay Leno, O’Reilly, major College Football Bowl Games, and highly rated sitcoms.  Viewers will be directed to their local parish, or can learn more at CatholicsComeHome.org or CatolicosRegresen.org .

Catholics Come Home® hopes to inspire as many as one million souls to come home to local parishes.  This evangelization goal is based on statistical census results from Catholics Come Home® local media initiatives that have aired in 30 past partner dioceses, ranging from Chicago to Seattle and Boston to Phoenix.  Where these ads have aired, Mass attendance has increased an average of 10%.  In the first dozen dioceses, the ads helped lead over 300,000 people home to the Church, just since Lent 2008.

According to a recent CARA Catholic Poll (CCP), only 33% of U.S. Catholics attend weekly Mass.  That means 42.7 million, or two-thirds of U.S. Catholics are not going to Mass. The number of Americans identifying themselves as non-religious/secular increased 110% from 1990 to 2000, now 13.2% of the total population.  The average American spends 38 hours per week consuming media, with TV and internet being the top two choices.

“These inspiring messages are sponsored by tens of thousands of Catholics who want to invite neighbors, relatives, and co-workers to ‘the largest family reunion in modern history’.  Our true hope and real change won’t come from Washington D.C. this Christmas.  The answers to our most critical needs come from Heaven via a manger in Bethlehem, where Jesus continues to change hearts and our world for the better! ” said Catholics Come Home President and Founder, Tom Peterson.

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To receive a copy of the ad for media broadcast or to schedule an interview with Tom Peterson, President and Founder of Catholics Come Home®, please contact Yvonne Marchese, Executive Director, at 678-585-7886 x101, or by e-mail to yvonne@catholicscomehome.org

CatholicsComeHome.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media apostolate, dedicated to producing and airing Catholic evangelism television ads on local, national and international television networks.


Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception!

Immaculate ConceptionRemember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Do you have questions about Catholic teaching on Our Lady? Do your friends? Check out this page on our CatholicsComeHome.org website to learn about the Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception…and more.

Holy Mother Mary, pray for us!


Archdiocese of Denver: Welcoming Catholics Back "Home"

Denver Catholic Register header

Dever Catholic Register logo

Welcoming Catholics back ‘home’

By James Cavanagh

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec: Television ads for “Catholics Come Home” urge the faithful to be welcoming to new people they notice at Mass and to invite fallen-away Catholics back to the Eucharist. Pictured are people attending Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec:
Television ads for “Catholics Come Home” urge the faithful to be welcoming to new people they notice at Mass and to invite fallen-away Catholics back to the Eucharist. Pictured are people attending Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

“While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”—Lk 15:20

Evangelization isn’t just one task among many, it is the very reason the Church exists. Everything we do—building projects, religious education, sacramental preparation, finance and stewardship, music and liturgy, everything—has as its end the proclamation of the kingdom of God and the redemption of all people.

This was the clear message of Vatican II, a message that was embraced by Pope Paul VI and taken up by his successors. “The task of evangelizing all people,” Paul VI said, “constitutes the essential mission of the Church. Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity” (“Evangelii Nuntiandi,” 14).

An unprecedented opportunity for evangelization is coming this Christmas. From Dec. 17 through Jan. 9 “Catholics Come Home” will launch a nationwide television ad campaign aimed at those who have been away from the Church as well as those who might be interested in joining the Catholic Church.

Our participation is vital if this effort is to be fruitful. All of us have a part to play: clergy, staff and parishioners. Vatican II taught that the laity has a unique role in the life and mission of the Church—a role that no one else can play.  Baptized into Christ and nourished by his body and blood, the laity are sent forth to share the Gospel with others. “All Christians,” the Council Fathers taught, have “the preeminent responsibility of working to make the divine message of salvation known and accepted by all men throughout the world” (Decree on the Laity, 3)

Many Catholics, perhaps you’re one of them, aren’t inclined to evangelize and even if they were, don’t feel equipped. They just can’t see themselves knocking on doors or preaching on street corners. Few of us are called to that kind of evangelization. But all of us are called, in the words of one of the new dismissals to “glorify the Lord by your life.”

The beauty of “Catholics Come Home” is that you don’t have to be an expert in all things Catholic. You don’t even have to be particularly outgoing. All you have to do is visit their website, invite others to Mass when the opportunity presents itself and welcome those who come. But how, you may ask, will I know who’s visiting as a result of the ad campaign and who is simply another parishioner I don’t know?  The answer is simple: Be friendly to everyone.

click here to read entire article


Letting God Rule

A recent message by the Holy Father included the following reflection:

Reflecting on the day’s reading from the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Father called special attention to the words: ‘There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hands of iniquity.’ Pope Benedict said:PopeBenedictXVI_3

How can we not be struck by this description? It seems to reflect certain aspects of the post-modern world: cities where life has become anonymous and horizontal, where God seems to be absent and only man is master, as if he were the universal architect. Building, work, economy, transport, science, technology, everything seems to depend only upon man. And at times, in this apparently perfect world, terrible things happen, either in nature or society, which make us think that God has withdrawn and has, so to say, left us to our own devices….”

Read more of CatholicCulture’s article by clicking the link above.


CCH Featured Apologetics Question: Why don’t Catholic priests marry?

Screen shot 2011-11-14 at 9.22.19 AMFind out the answer here! Click on the “Answer” button to this question on the Priesthood page of our CatholicsComeHome.org website.

Here are some great articles that also deal with priestly celibacy:

Priestly Celibacy

Celibacy of Clergy

Feel free to check out the other questions and answers about the priesthood on the page. And don’t forget to stop by our sister website, EncouragePriests.org!


Catholic News Agency (CNA) Reports: Catholics Come Home National Campaign

Atlanta, Ga., Nov 3, 2011 / 03:31 am Catholics Come Home has announced a major prime time evangelization initiative set to air on American TV networks beginning in mid-Advent and ending after Christmas.

The initiative’s advertising campaign aims to reach 250 million television viewers in over 10,000 U.S. cities and in every U.S. diocese.

“These inspiring messages are sponsored by 30,000 Catholic families who want to invite neighbors, relatives, and co-workers to the largest family reunion in modern history,” said Catholics Come Home founder Tom Peterson.

The ad used in the campaign notes the beauty and history of the Catholic Church. It mentions Catholics’ traditions of prayer, help for the poor, and work in education.

“Guided by the Holy Spirit, we compiled the Bible,” it says, stating that the Church was “started by Jesus.”

“If you’ve been away, come home to your parish, and visit CatholicsComeHome.org today,” the ad says.

Catholics Come Home says the ad is scheduled to air over 400 times from Dec. 16 through Jan. 8.

Read entire article at: Catholic News Agency


Breaking Catholic News. First time in history.

Atlanta (Roswell), GA, November 2, 2011—Catholics Come Home® announces a major, national, prime-time network television evangelization initiative, for the first time ever in the 2,000 year history of the Catholic Church, to air from December 16, 2011 through January 8, 2012.

This invitation of the New Evangelization highlights the history, beauty, spirituality and accomplishments of the Catholic Church.  The positive message will reach 250 million television viewers in over 10,000 U.S. cities and every diocese throughout the United States, airing over 400 times during the three week period spanning before Christmas through the Feast of the Epiphany, January 8, 2012.

Catholics Come Home® hopes to inspire as many as one million souls to come home to local parishes.  This evangelization goal is based on statistical census results from Catholics Come Home® media initiatives that have aired in 30 past partner dioceses, ranging from Chicago to Seattle and Boston to Atlanta.   Where these ads have aired, Mass attendance has increased an average of 10%, and helped over 300,000 people home to the Church, just since 2008.

The bi-lingual Catholics Come Home® commercials are scheduled to air on CBS, NBC, Univision, TBS, USA, TNT, CNN, FoxNews, and other networks during shows like 60 Minutes, NCIS, Kennedy Center Honors, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, Jay Leno, O’Reilly, major sports, and highly rated sitcoms.  Viewers will be directed to their parish and will learn more at CatholicsComeHome.org or CatolicosRegresen.org (Spanish).

According to a recent CARA Catholic Poll (CCP), only 33% of U.S. Catholics attend weekly Mass.  That means 42.7 million, or two-thirds of U.S. Catholics, are not going to Mass. The number of Americans identifying themselves as non-religious/secular increased 110% from 1990 to 2000, now 13.2% of the total population.  The average American spends 38 hours per week consuming media, with TV and internet being the top two choices.  Mormons, Christian Scientists, and Atheists are now advertising.

“These inspiring messages are sponsored by 30,000 Catholic families who want to invite neighbors, relatives, and co-workers to the largest family reunion in modern history” said Founder, Tom Peterson.

Click here to view the national ad.

To schedule an interview with Tom Peterson, President and Founder of Catholics Come Home®, please contact Yvonne Marchese, Executive Director, at 678-585-7886 x101, or by e-mail to yvonne@catholicscomehome.org

 

CatholicsComeHome.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media apostolate, dedicated to producing and airing Catholic evangelism television ads on local, national and international television networks.


Celebrate Priesthood Sunday with us all week!

It is Priesthood Sunday! How are you going to celebrate the life and beautiful vocation of the priests you know?Screen shot 2011-10-31 at 8.38.41 AM

Visit our website, EncouragePriests.org to send spiritual bouquets or “collar hollers” to your priests. If you didn’t celebrate the tremendous gift of the priesthood on Sunday, it’s not too late! Celebrate with us all week!

After God, the priest is everything! … Only in heaven will he fully realize what he is.” -St. John Vianney

Pray for your priests!


Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Announces Catholics Come Home Partner Initiative This Advent!

FORT WAYNE — The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has long served the spiritual needs of its people by offering a Church-home steeped in the rich sacramental tradition of the Catholic faith. It continues to strive to welcome and embrace all its members, even those who may have stepped away from community worship.

In an effort to invite inactive Catholics to rediscover the fullness of their faith, a new media campaign has been approved by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, and will be launched across the diocese this late fall and winter, running from Dec. 17 through Jan. 31. The campaign will include the use of television ads, yard signs, banners and other signage that will direct people to the national and local websites of Catholics Come Home. By Kay Cozad

Read entire article


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