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Published: December 21, 2009
“You can always come home”
Sacramento diocese launches TV ad campaign aimed at fallen away Catholics
The Sacramento diocese will spend $400,000 for a six-week advertising campaign aimed at bringing fallen away Catholics back to the Church.
 Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto unveiled the television ad campaign on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in the company of some lapsed Catholics who had decided to return to the Church, according to the Sacramento Bee.
"This whole campaign is really an effort to start a conversation that begins with: 'You are always welcome. You can always come home,'" diocesan spokesman Kevin Eckery told the Bee.
The ads are provided by the national group Catholics Come Home, and are also running in other dioceses across the country, including the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Rockford? and the Diocese of Joliet.
According to a March 16 story in The Catholic Sun, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Phoenix, “An estimated 92,000 inactive Catholics have come back to the Church in the last year thanks in large part to the groundbreaking Catholics Come Home television advertising campaign.”
The homepage of the Diocese of Sacramento features prominently at the top of the page the heading, “We are Catholic. Welcome Home.” Visitors to the diocesan website who click on the image are linked to a new page that features a brief video of Bishop Soto welcoming back fallen away Catholics. Bishop Soto says, “Your Father in Heaven has been waiting for this Day, as well as many of your brothers and sisters.”
The “We are Catholic. Welcome Home” page also contains a variety of other resources, including links to the Catholics Come Home national website and to the Catholic Answers Forum. Also included are personal accounts from Catholics who left and returned to the Church, as well as links to other videos likely to be of interest to those considering a return to the Church.
To visit the diocese’s “Welcome Home” page, Click Here.
Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 6:39 AM By Carson Weber
It's important to note that this was not funded from diocesan coffers (which are low, as the recent financial report in the Catholic Herald shows clearly). Rather, the money was fund-raised from folks who wanted to give to this express purpose, from second collections at Mass after having shown the ads to the congregation to sizable donations from private donors.
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 8:36 AM By Grisha
This is a wonderful thing! The $400,000 isn't an expense, it's an investment. Hopefully the six week campaign will be the kick off for a sustained effort. We've needed to do this for a long time.
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 9:26 AM By Willi H
To bring "fallen away Catholics" home to Holy Mother Church, the reasons must be addressed. and the reasons are almost as many as there are "fallen away Catholics". For some, lack of the sense of the sacred in the Mass may be the problem. Support for the Exraordinary Rite may bring many home. Some have made bad choices in marriage and have divorced and re-married. Annullment tribunals may be the solution. Others may be turned off from the Church due to the paederast priests and the corrupt Bishops that covered up the scandal. Hopefully the Church is dealing with this problem. Others cannot or will not adhere to the Magisterium or submit to the Roman Pontiff due to liberal, modernistic or heretical beliefs (woman-priests, abortion on demand excessive ecumenism, or other such notions). to them I say, just stay out.
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 9:47 AM By Dennis B
We need to figure out what to do AFTER they come home. Re-verts are as strong and passionate as converts in their zeal for the faith if we keep them orthodox.
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 10:24 AM By JoeCee
"Come home to what?" the fall-aways may ask. Where's the beef?
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 11:14 AM By Br. Sebastian
Advent has arrived. This is a period much like Lent when Catholics before Vatican II (V II) prepared for the coming of Christ at Christmas whereas in Lent they prepared for His Passion and ultimately His Ressurection at Easter. In both periods while praying world-wide the One-and-Only, St. Pope Pius the Vth decreed Tridentine Latin Mass (TLM) the bishops and priests wore purple vestments to signify the waiting and preparations that must take place for each of these greatest of events in the history of mankind. The waiting and preparations were mainly for situating Catholics souls of the time into a higher state of Sanctifying Grace to better prepare them to adorn our Savior and please Him. Unfortunately much of that has faded, Christmas has become more commercialized, and the day after Christmas many households trees are discarded in dumpsters or drop zones. Before V II many Catholics celebrated Christmas through Epiphany, the 6th of January. Some families opened gifts throughout the 12 days of Christmas not just on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Remember? Midnight Mass (TLM) started at 12 am Christmas morning, not at 5 or 7 pm on Christmas Eve as I heard from some willing, bragging, and delighted modern Norvus Ordo Catholics. What a sad charade that only undermines the real reason for worshipping our Lord and Savior on His Holy Day. I pray you will not insult Him, disobey nor defy His Holy Will; and rather that you will be blessed by our Heavenly Father with all the Sanctifying Graces you need to seek, find, and have the courage to get onto the right road to His Holy Kingdom. Tens of millions have lost the Catholic faith and are clueless or they just don't care. In preparing for Christmas, go to Confession at least once to clense your soul, and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Pray for world peace and for God to rescue of our Nation from the socialist and agnostic abyss it is sliding into. Pray 15 X daily: Hail and Blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Blessed Virgin Mary at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold, at that hour vouchsafe oh my God to hear my prayer and grant my petitions t
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 11:57 AM By R.Bushlow
This is wonderful, but where is the 'Epic' video? Also, how can I get this to be run in the L.A. Archdiocese?
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 12:14 PM By Elizabeth
And I understand that in the near future......
Catholics Come Home hope to be on secular stations all over the U.S.
Pray everyone and PLEASE contribute to such a WONDERFUL EFFORT!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 12:49 PM By Mark from PA
I think this is an excellent idea. I think that it is imporatant that people be made to feel wanted and welcome in the Church.
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 3:23 PM By Abeca Christian
I'm huge on evangelizing so this is great! I love our faith, I praise God for His graces that I receive daily.
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 5:56 PM By Jon
Is this "Welcome home! Make your check payable to the Diocese of Sacramento", or "Welcome home! Confessions are heard every Saturday at 3:00"?
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Posted Monday, December 21, 2009 6:02 PM By Jon
Every time I see the word "conversation" I think of the "conversation" the American bishops have been having on abortion since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, or the "conversation" on abortion Archbishop Niederauer has been having with Nancy Pelosi, or the "conversation" on abortion Cardinal McCarrick had with all those Washington politicians, or ...
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Posted Tuesday, December 22, 2009 6:05 AM By Bob
And, if they come home will anyone be there to welcome them? Does each parish have a strategy for welcoming people to the parish? How do you identify them? Who goes to them and offers information on how to become a member of the parish, becoming involved in the ministries, etc. Or, do we just let them come in, sit down, and never be looked at or greeted until they leave? This requires training, sermons on the theology of hospitality, etc..I hope we all figure out how to do this well.
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Posted Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:37 AM By JLS
The bishops launched one of these bring 'em back campaigns thirty years ago. Why not put the money and effort into stopping abortion? Instead they toss it into kicking dead horse contests.
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Posted Tuesday, December 22, 2009 1:11 PM By Br Sebastian
I would like to invite those interested in returning to the Catholic Church to return to their roots, i.e., the Catholic Church they knew growing up in the 1950's, 1940's, 1930's, 1920, and the nearly 1900 years unchanged before then. Yes an invitation to the Tridentine Latin Mass (TLM), Sacrament of the Eucharist, and Sacrament of Penance. No matter how long you've been away from the Church, no matter how bad you see yourself as having been, it is never to late for the salvation of your soul and your loved ones souls to return to our Lord in the manner and form of which He directed. In the manner and form that He, our Holy Father, and the Holy Ghost all be loved, honored, praised, and worshipped, not by mans preferred way! In the manner and form that God directed that we be humble, and contrite in heart. That we consecrate our hearts, souls, and lives to Him, putting Him first before and above all else. That consecration of our souls to the Blessed Trinity will lead each of us to eternal happiness no matter how bad we have been as He will forgive those contrite in heart. Let us not forget His Blessed Mother as the greatest intercessor we can possibly imagine. With a sincere and contrite heart, She will help us receive Sanctifying Grace and favors from the Blessed Trinity. Pray your rosaries fervently to Her asking for Her aid. God will not turn away those seeking His Sanctifying Graces. Roman Catholic parishes offering the TLM can be found in a directory on the internet at Traditio.com. Although you might have droopy eyes, praying at a Midnight TLM will refresh and restore your soul. What have you got to loose? Only your soul by turning the Lord our God away. It is time for each of us to make Him happy. May God Bless You and lead you to do His Heavenly Will for He wishes for all souls to be saved; but unfortunately only those that turn to Him, hook line and sinker will be saved. Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be given to you.
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Posted Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:16 PM By Patrick
Br. Sebastian, I re-discovered my Roman Catholic Heritage over 20 years ago and have been loyal to the Roman Catholic Faith, the Tridentine Latin Mass, and the 7 Holy Sacraments thanking the Lord daily and curiously wondering why He picked me. I hope and pray that I will always remain close to God and forever please Him in doing His Holy Will as opposed to my own. It seems I constantly struggle against temptation and the powers of evil. The devil really knows who his enemies are and his greatest goals are to confuse, mislead, deceive, and destroy the souls of those whom want to be close to God the most. Please pray for me and my family. Quoting a once famous old Roman Catholic prayer you have printed: Hail and Blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Blessed Virgin Mary at mid-night in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe oh Lord to hear my prayers and grant my petitions through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer. Amen
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Posted Wednesday, December 23, 2009 11:36 AM By 1abqdad
Unless the church leaders "return" to orthodox practices, this will be a waste of time. The worst destroyer of faith is hypocrisy! As long as the bishops allow universities to be in heresy, fail to fight sin, turn their heads to constant questionable activities, and support the liberal heretics. How can anyone return to a church that is not true to Christ? Yes, there are a few wonderful Bishops, but in general they are cowards! When the people return and find the questionable behaviors, they'll become even more angry at the hypocrisy and never return!
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Posted Wednesday, December 23, 2009 10:58 PM By Abeca Christian
1abqdad for one, your posts was factual to a point and for 2nd I would somewhat disagree because if someone came back it is usually because of better virtue in humility, it takes humility for someone to admit they were wrong to have left and courage/humility to come back to Christ's church, and if God called them, why doubt that it will be a waste of time, what little faith you have. Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is solid enough of a reason to stay in the true faith. Those that persevere in truth, will be the ones who will be saved because Jesus is truth!
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Posted Thursday, December 24, 2009 2:19 PM By rwas
I have seen the commercial and find it quite compelling. I hope many will feel called by God to the Church or back to the Church. As an old-timer who has practice the Catholic faith since the 1940's I find it quite amusing that some posters on this site want to return to the pre-Vatican II Church. I grew up in the 1940's and 50's and remember one of our parish priests who impressed the women in our parish with his sermons, his piety and his harmonic phrasing of the latin texts of the Mass. Of course, this same priest attempted to molest my younger brother (age 10) and I (age 12) in the sacristy after Mass on several occasions. We were both altar boys. We told our parents and, of course, the priest was moved elsewhere. It is truly a miracle of God that I am still a proponent of the Catholic faith.
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Posted Friday, December 25, 2009 4:31 PM By Abeca Christian
rwas with all due respect, to verify what you are saying is true, who was the priest? What parish did you belong to? I ask this because not to long ago I met an older woman with a middle aged man, they made a scene saying that they were molested by a priest, then turned out, as I investigated, I found out that they were lying, turned out that the middle aged man was a homosexual and was angry at the church because of their Prop 8 support. There are many impostors coming out and I feel bad for the real victims because when they seek help, it is hard to believe them because one questions who are the impostors and who are the real victims here. I read of one case where the victim was the priest, because when he was accused, it was actually a false accusation, they actually wanted to cash in from these tragedies that have happened in the church. Praise God the priest's innocence was proven. People who falsely make these sort of accusations against any innocent person, should be thrown in jail too. How cruel and vicious for anyone to make up such things, it is a great injustice because not only do false reports hurt the reputation of the priest but also hurt any real cases of real victims by priests too because then it makes it hard for people to defend the real victims.
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Posted Saturday, December 26, 2009 10:44 AM By rwas
Abeca: It was nearly 50 years ago. Most likely the priest is now deceased. Life goes on. Unfortunately, there were and are pedophile priests. I am not a homosexual and have been married for nearly 35 years. God Bless
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Posted Sunday, December 27, 2009 6:57 PM By Anne T.
Abeca Christian, that is a good point in your post of Dec. 25 at 4:31. I have known of people being accused of molestation who were guilty and others who were accused who were proven innocent. The only thing as bad as molesting a child is to falsely accuse someone of the same just because one wants money or hates the person for some reason. Also, many children know and see far too much on television and sometimes in their own homes now days. If a child is not questioned properly, ideas can be implanted in young minds. Furthermore, that is why some schools have the policy that no adult is to work alone with a child for any substantial length of time and classrooms are to be open if it is necessary for them to teach the child alone. It protects both the child and the adult.
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Posted Sunday, December 27, 2009 11:02 PM By Abeca Christian
rwas I'm sorry I never meant it to come across as if I was assuming you were a homosexual, that was not my reason for the post. I wanted to get to the bottom of what you said, tis all. Thanks for clarifying that you were not a homosexual and I'm sorry about your bad experience with that priest. May our Lord bless you and bring you healing, if that priest is dead by now, trust that the Lord will bring great justice. Everyone has to answer to God for any wrong doing, no one escapes that. God bless you too and thanks for your reply.
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