Answering Pope John Paul II’s Call for a “New Evangelization”
Our beloved Pope John Paul II continually exhorted the Church to begin a New Evangelization. He described modern media as an indispensable means of achieving it. In Ecclesia in America he wrote, “Using the media correctly and competently can lead to a genuine enculturation of the Gospel.”1
Pope Benedict XVI, continuing Blessed Pope John Paul II’s efforts to advance this “new springtime” of evangelization, called for the re-proposing of the Gospel “to those regions awaiting the first evangelization and to those regions where the roots of Christianity are deep but who have experienced a serious crisis of faith due to secularization.” 2
Inspired by the our Holy Fathers’ calls to a New Evangelization and re-proposing of the Gospel, Catholics Come Home® reaches out to inactive Catholics using inspiring TV commercials and an interactive Web site. Without pressure or obligation, Catholics Come Home.org offers an opportunity to learn the truth about the Catholic faith in a loving, non-judgmental atmosphere. We offer many resources that aid fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics in learning more about returning to the Catholic Church. Coming home has never been easier!
Why Evangelization is Critically Needed Now
Here is the evidence that the need for Catholics Come Home is greater than ever:
• In 2007, Catholics accounted for nearly 24 percent of the U.S. population, yet according to the CARA Catholic Poll (CCP), only 24 percent of those U.S. Catholics attend Mass on a weekly basis. 3
- The number of Americans identifying themselves as “unaffiliated” with a religious tradition (whether atheist, agnostic, or “nothing”) is continuing to increase dramatically, and now makes up 16.1 percent of the total population. Our culture is beginning to reflect this move away from a Christian society. 4
- As many as 100,000 baptized Catholics in the U.S. drift away from Church each year.5
- One-third to one-half of Catholic marriages now end in divorce.5
- 72 percent of Catholics have not tried to win a convert to Christ.5
- For every four Protestants, there is one convert. For Catholics, the numbers were 250 to one. That is about one convert for every 807 Catholics.5
Catholics Come Home®, with your help, is working to bring about a powerful, positive change in our modern secular culture and is inviting thousands all around the country to return to their Catholic faith, through this astounding new evangelization effort.
Click here to support Catholics Come Home now!
- Late Pope’s New Evangelization Has Transformed Airwave, 2006 Catholic News Source/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Pope Benedict XVI, “Homily of First Vespers on the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,” from The Vatican website library
- CARA Catholic Poll (CCP)
- Pew Forum Reports: Religious Affiliation
- Claveau, Victor The 7% Solution, A Guide to Evangelization at the Parish, Community or Diocesan Level
