Catholics Come Home In the News

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Advice for Dads

Happy Father’s Day!

Check out this article that provides good advice for fathers…it also includes audio clips!

Don’t forget to pray for all of the fathers in your life, living and deceased, and for our priestly fathers, who help nuture our spiritual lives.

“St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labor and weariness. But amid the worries of material life your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God’s Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over him faithfully as you have done.” -Prayer for Fathers by Pope John XXIII 


The Diocese of Phoenix Newspaper, The Catholic Sun, Reports the Launch of EncouragePriests.org

The Catholic Sun, newspaper of the Diocese of Phoenix, reports on the Father’s Day launch of EncouragePriests.org:

EncouragePriests.org: Send a local priest a ‘Collar-Holler’ this Father’s Day

The Year for Priests ends June 19, but a new website will help keep its spirit alive indefinitely.

EncouragePriests.org, which launched on Holy Thursday — the day that marks the institution of the priesthood — will become fully interactive June 20, Father’s Day.

The EncouragePriests.org site is designed to equip the laity with easy yet powerful ways to affirm the priests in their lives through spiritual bouquets, printable and electronic greeting cards — dubbed “Collar-Hollers” — and testimonials.

Visitors to the website will also be able to learn more about the priesthood, support vocations and explore features including homily highlights, “Words of Wisdom” and “Fatherly Advice.”

“It all happened very, very quickly,” founder Tom Peterson said of the new outreach ministry.

It started when Peterson, who is also the brains behind its partner Catholic media apostolate, CatholicsComeHome.org, simply told his spiritual director earlier this year about his own heavy workloads, loneliness and the demands of ministry. His spiritual director mentioned that priests face the same struggles…
click here to read entire article

Visit EncouragePriests.org today and spread the word to all your friends and family.  Our priests need our encouragement!


Strengthening Our Knowledge–and Love–of the Eucharist

Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke about the need for the Church to gain an even more profound knowledge of the magnificence of the Holy Eucharist.

“‘When we receive Christ,’ the Holy Father explained, ‘the love of God expands inside us, radically modifying our hearts and making us capable of gestures which, by the contagious power of goodness, can transform the lives of people around us.'” Read more of Our Holy Father’s comments here.

CCH Epic - MonstranceHow often are you receiving the Eucharist? How is the Eucharist changing your life? Are you making an effort to increase your love and adoration for Christ’s True Presence in the Holy Eucharist? Our Lord didn’t just give us His teachings but His very Self.

“The hidden treasure… is Jesus himself, the Kingdom in person.  In the Sacred Host, he is present, the true treasure, always waiting for us.  Only by adoring this presence do we learn how to receive him properly-we learn the reality of communion” (Pope Benedict XVI, from his homily in Altötting at the Basilica of St. Anne,  2006).


Evangelizaiton – Pass It On! Another GREAT E-mail Response We Received

Another GREAT e-mail we received in response to the message we sent out about Tom Peterson’s experience of “Evangelization at 30,000 feet“:

“That is a wonderful story! I did the same thing yesterday with a fellow teacher who is having some struggles in her life. I handed her a prayer card of the Sacred Heart since it was the feast day and asked her to pray the prayer when she had some quiet time. She expressed thanks and said she needed to renew her relationship with God and The Church and gave me a hug for being there for her.  Your e mail encouraged me to do this… Thanks. -Lynda”

Visit CatholicsComeHome.org each day to grow in your faith!


Great CD/MP3 Recommendation

Check out Steve Ray’s “Finding the Fullness of the Faith” conversion story from Protestantism to the Catholic Faith.

His story is filled with tons of powerful and useful information for Catholics and non-Catholics alike…It’s one of our CCH team favorites!

You can get the CD or download the MP3 from Lighthouse Catholic Media.

Here’s what one listener had to say about Steve Ray’s talk: “I am a Protestant about to begin RCIA. This helped to clarify a number of questions and to affirm my decision to explore the Catholic Faith.” –Sharon – Chicago, IL

You can find even more great Catholic talks from Lighthouse Catholic Media’s store.


An Inspiring E-mail We Received In Response To: "Evangelization at 30,000 feet"

We received this inspiring message in response to the e-mail we sent out earlier this week about Tom Peterson’s ‘Evangelization at 30,000 feet’ where God used him to help a flight attendant find her way back to the Church:

“The timing of your letter could not be any better.  About a year or so ago, our parish partnered with a neighboring parish in a program we call ‘Catholics Welcome Home.’  At first , we thought we would get flooded with Catholics coming back, but we quickly found out God does not work that way.  Last winter an 83 year old lady came to our program.  She could not believe we took time to go to the chapel to pray with her.  She is now in a prayer group and comes to Mass on a regular basis.

You timing is right because we have a meeting this evening and I plan to read your letter to the team.  Thank you for your letter. – Joel”

Visit CatholicsComeHome.org each day to grow in your faith
…You never know when God might send someone across your path that might need your assistance!


Year for Priests comes to an end…

The Church has spent the past year in prayer and thanksgiving for our holy bishops, priests, and seminarians around the world…and what a blessed year it has been! The Year for Priests comes to a close this Friday, when Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at which time the clergy will renew their vows and St. John Vianney, the “Cure of Ars,” will be declared the Patron of all Priests!

Read more about the closing ceremonies for the Year for Priests here.

To continue the momentum of showing our prayers, love, and support for our holy priests, visit EncouragePriests.org. Our updated site will launch this coming Father’s Day, June 20…just days away! Make sure to submit your short testimonial or video greeting (like this one) to thank your priest!


Evangelization at 30,000 feet

Catholics Come Home

Hello Friend of CatholicsComeHome.org,

I want to share a personal story with you that happened a few weeks ago at 30,000 feet in the air.  It inspired our entire CCH team, and I hope it inspires you, too!

I boarded an early morning flight to return home, following a Catholics Come Home presentation in the Midwest the night before.

After take-off and the beverage service, I took a second to thank the two hard-working flight attendants for their exceptional hospitality.  A little later, one of the flight attendants stopped to tell me how much she appreciated and needed that kind word of affirmation at this time in her life.

Prior to landing, I felt led to take out one of our CatholicsComeHome.org evangelization cards. On the back of the card, I wrote, “The hope you are seeking can be found only in Jesus and His Church.” I signed my name and held the card in my hand, waiting for an opportunity to hand it to her, if it was meant to be.

As we began our descent into the Atlanta airport, that flight attendant stopped one last time to thank me as she headed to the back of the plane for landing. I took a leap of faith and handed her the CCH evangelization card and note, asking her to read it when she got home.

Thanks to God’s abundant grace, last week our office received a wonderful letter from that flight attendant!  In it, she explained that she had suffered loneliness since her divorce a year ago, and she was looking for answers.  She went on to say that she desperately needed that Catholics Come Home card and hopeful note on the back, and that she hadn’t stopped crying since she received the little card. Amazingly, she confided that she had been away from the Catholic Church and from God for many years. After receiving the Catholics Come Home card and note, she returned to Mass last week, and had finally found exactly what she had been looking for—God!


I wanted to share this story with you as a reminder that each of us is called to share the Good News of Jesus and His Church to a world in need of hope. As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to work passionately to bring souls home to Jesus and His holy Catholic Church. And, it’s always incredible to witness the fruit that comes from being obedient to the will of God.

Likely, someone out there is waiting for you to invite them home too, whether on a plane, at the store, or at your child’s swim meet. So when the opportunity arises, take the time to answer the Holy Spirit’s call, and help change someone’s life forever!


Your brother in Christ Jesus,

Tom Peterson

P.S. Tell us about your most interesting evangelization experience at our CCH Facebook page!


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.


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