To the editor:
I just received one the mass mailings that our local Protestant churches send out this time of year, as the holidays draw close. I am a former Lutheran and belonged to this specific church up until six years ago, when I came home to the Catholic Church. I’d like to comment on these mailings.
They are very nicely done and put together. They are very appealing and inviting. I have had to ask myself when I receive one, as I imagine countless other Catholics do here in my area, just how appealing are they to those who are not strong in their faith or are fallen away from the Church altogether?
What, if any, measures are in place to counter these massive mailings? And if there are none, why not? We have been talking about stewardship in this diocese for over three years now. Doesn’t stewardship mean reaching out? Not only to the poor, but poor in faith and spirit? Must we not also be concerned by the lack of attendance at Mass in almost every church? How many of our brothers and sisters, or whole previously catholic families are adrift in this world because they don’t have the anchor provided by a parish family and the sacraments?
Every Mass I attend and every rosary I pray I include those who have drifted away from the church, for whatever reason. I pray we consider them when we think of our Holy Father’s call for the new evangelization. Thank you for your attention.
Gail Bryant
Rochester
