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Catholics Come Home In the News

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Youth: The Future of Society and of the Church!

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Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI addressed the youth in his message for World Youth Day 2011, asking them to “strengthen their faith to counter the influence of secular society,” and telling the youth that the Church “needs your lively faith, your creative charity and the energy of your hope.”

Pope_Benedict_XVIIn the midst of an age of relativism and secularist thought, the Pope reminded his audience that “wherever individuals and nations accept God’s presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits.”

Read more of the Holy Father’s words in this recent Catholic News Agency article!

Quick Reflection: Accepting the Gift of Love

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sacred-heart-icon“From the point of view of the Christian faith, man comes in the profoundest sense to himself not through what he does but through what he accepts. He must wait for the gift of love, and love can only be received as a gift… One must wait for it, let it be given to one. And one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved… If he declines to let himself be presented with the gift, then he destroys himself.” – Pope Benedict XVI

Are you accepting the gift of love that Christ is offering to you each day? Are you giving that gift to others?

“Our mission is to convey God’s love–not a dead God but a living God, a God of love.” -Blessed Mother Teresa

CCH Featured Apologetics Question: Holy Communion?

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Why can’t non-Catholics receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church?

Find out the answer here!

eucharist“I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth and it tells me about Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You, incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You and my soul recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good, and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration.” -St. Faustina

Read the rest of St. Faustina’s prayer before the Eucharist.

Learn more about the Holy Eucharist and the Mass from CatholicsComeHome.org.

Praying the Psalms

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Looking for a powerful prayer experience with the Psalms? Check out this great Mp3 talk by Dr. Tim Gray, “Praying the Psalms.” Discover what it is like to be in relationship with God through the poetic psalms.

“The LORD is gracious and merciful,sillouette
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.”

-Psalm 145: 8-9

CCH Featured Apologetics Question: Bible Alone?

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My Protestant friends say that their church goes by the Bible alone, but that the Catholic Church has added a lot of man-made traditions to the Word of God–is that true?

Find out the answer in audio and text format here! scripture

To find answers to more of your apologetics questions, visit CatholicsComeHome.org. You can find John Martignoni’s (from the Bible Christian Society) new YouTube channel dedicated to Catholic apologetics here.

Catholic News Agency (CNA) Reports: Archbishop Aymond of New Orleans Launches Blog in Preparation for CatholicsComeHome.org

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New Orleans archbishop launches video blog to reach Louisiana Catholics

New Orleans, La., Aug 25, 2010 / 01:07 am (CNA).- Archbishop of New Orleans Gregory Aymond has launched a video blog to deliver weekly messages to area Catholics. His first message reflects on his hopes for the future and what he has learned in his first year an archbishop. His next video will mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

“On most days it’s hard to believe it’s been a year already,” Archbishop Aymond says in his first video. He added that it was his “humble privilege” to serve as archbishop, especially since he is the first native son of New Orleans to hold the office in over 200 years.

He also admitted that he has not been to all the parishes of the archdiocese as he had hoped he would, but he intends to fulfill the promise he made.

Speaking of the state of the archdiocese, he said “the Catholic Church is alive and well” and continues to be a “strong, strong presence” in New Orleans and beyond.

The archbishop has said he has been “overwhelmed” by the fraternity of the priests and by the “wonderful welcome” he has received from the priests, religious and laity.

Turning to the challenges facing the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archbishop Aymond cited rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina, responding to the effects of the Gulf oil spill, and addressing those hurt by the archdiocese’s pastoral plan to reorganize its churches.

Discussing his goals for the future, the archbishop said he would like to “tweak” the pastoral governance structure better to serve parishes and Catholic institutions and would like to build on the “wonderful relationships” he has formed.

He added that he would like the archdiocese to have a local synod.

The archbishop also advocated continued outreach to those who are away from the Church, noting the “Catholics Come Home” campaign planned for Lent 2011.
click here to read entire CNA Article

Visit CatholicsComeHome.org each day to grow in your faith and love of Christ’s Catholic Church.

CCH Recommends…

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Walking With GodGet a copy of the new book, Walking With God, by Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins. This fantastic book takes you on a journey through the narrative books of the Bible, unlocking the mysteries and riches of Sacred Scripture, which are applicable and needed in our world and personal lives today.

Want to learn more about Sacred Scripture? Get a copy of Dr. Ted Sri’s The Bible CBible Compassompass, an excellent companion to help you navigate through the Scriptues and gain a better understanding of the tools needed to help you get the most out of your Bible study experience. This book will remind you that with a Catholic approach to studying Scripture, you can grow tremendously in your relationship with Christ and His Catholic Church.

Get more great books at CatholicsComeHome.org!

Preserving Catholic Identity in Catholic Universities

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Read this article about effective Catholic university education from the Catholic News Agency. In it, Cardinal Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, says that “Only the Catholic university that conserves its identity will have a future.”

“What is needed in the modern context of permissibility and relativity, he said, is ‘the Catholic university that defends the truth, the objective truth.'”

Take a moment today to pray for the present and future of Catholic education. Pray that it may flourish in its mission to promote authentic Catholic teaching and educate future leaders about the truth of the Catholic faith, so that Catholics students may come to participate more fully in the evangelization mission of the Church.

Some Brief (But Important!) Reminders about Prayer

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Mary PrayingSome insights on prayer to think about today:

How does prayer help us?

“And the more we pray, the happier we become. The more we pray, the less anxious we become, and we are filled with a greater peace of mind and heart. The more we pray, the more we understand ourselves, for we come to know God more intimately, by experience – and we really only know ourselves to the degree that we know God personally. The more we pray, we begin to see the hand of God in our day to day life, that is, we see Him acting in our life. We begin to see that He loves us, personally. That makes life so much more meaningful.” -Deacon Doug McManaman, “The Importance of Prayer”

How does prayer help the world?

As Catholics, we believe that prayer is astoundingly powerful. The prayers of the saints have had an impact on history unmatched by political and social world leaders over the centuries. All of humanity has benefited from the prayers of the saints. Look at our Blessed Mother Mary. Did not her prayer and submission to God impact the world in the most profound way? Does not her continued intercession on our behalf influence the hearts of all people around the world, as she encourages us always to say our own “yes” to our Heavenly Father?

“…see prayer for what it is: a matter of life or death, your lifeline to God, to life itself. Is this exaggerated? Are there more important things? Love, for instance? We need love absolutely; but the love we need is agape, the love that only God has and is; so unless we go to God for it, we won’t get it. And going to God for it means prayer. So unless we pray, we will not love.” -Peter Kreeft, “Lesson One in Prayer“

CHICAGO ARCHDIOCESE TO DEBUT NEW CATHOLICS COME HOME NATIONAL TV COMMERCIALS

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Catholics Come Home
CHICAGO ARCHDIOCESE TO DEBUT NEW CATHOLICS COME HOME NATIONAL TV COMMERCIALS

SECOND COMMERCIAL FEATURES EDUARDO VERASTEGUI, HISPANIC MOVIE STAR

(August 12, 2010) Roswell, GA—Catholics Come Home will premier their new TV commercial “Home” as part of the upcoming Chicagoland Advent 2010 television campaign.

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced today that the evangelization initiative, Catholics Come Home, will return in December for a second time on local television stations and in parishes throughout Cook and Lake counties. After a very positive response to last year’s outreach efforts, new commercials, combined with the interactive website, www.CatholicsComeHome.org, will bring the welcome message to all people, especially Catholics who have drifted from the practice of their faith. The Dioceses of Joliet and Rockford are again participating with the Archdiocese of Chicago in this follow-up to the Catholics Come Home evangelization initiative.

“Home” will air in English, Spanish, Polish and closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Also debuting is a new commercial featuring Eduardo Verástegui, actor, producer, and star of the movie Bella.  In this testimonial commercial, Eduardo shares his personal testimony of his journey home to his Catholic roots after years outside the Church pursuing fame and material success.  This commercial will premier on Spanish language television in December, in Chicago, Joliet, and Rockford.

Catholics Come Home (CCH) is an independent, not for profit organization that invites inactive Catholics and others searching for a faith home to the Catholic Church.  CCH utilizes television commercials and interactive websites.  In response to twelve initial CCH campaigns and viral exposure of the website, the CatholicsComeHome.org website has been visited by over 1 million individuals from all fifty states and over one hundred countries, who were moved by the welcoming messages and website. Overall, the CCH TV messages have reached nearly 20 million television viewers across the United States, just since 2008.

To date, CCH campaigns have aired in twelve dioceses from Providence to Sacramento, Chicago to Seattle, helping to increase Mass attendance an average of nearly 11%, and welcoming a total of 200,000 inactive Catholics and converts home since inception.

Now, Catholics Come Home is inviting other families back to the Catholic faith across the country in 15 additional dioceses, including Boston, Atlanta, and many other dioceses and archdioceses.

By December 2011, CatholicsComeHome.org plans to begin airing on national US television networks and national cable systems, then internationally in the future.

The inspiring television and website advertisements are viewable at www.CatholicsComeHome.org.  “These messages are created and sponsored by lay Catholic families who have experienced a renewal of faith and who want to bring purpose and hope to other families across the country.  The results are nothing short of miraculous,” said Founder, Tom Peterson.

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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.  EncouragePriests.org™ is a special communications outreach project of Catholics Come Home, Inc.

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