A Concord Pastor Comments: Catholics Come Home: a success story in Green Bay

Catholics Come Home.org

H/T to Todd over at Catholic Sensibility for a link to this good news from the Green Bay diocesan newspaper, The Compass:

Eight months ago, the Diocese of Green Bay began airing television commercials for six weeks that invited Catholics to Come Home. This month, the diocese released survey findings that show Mass attendance increased an average of 7.4 percent after the commercials began to air.

In addition, more than 95 percent of parish leaders and parishioners reported that CCH had a positive influence on their lives.

"Probably the biggest, and most pleasant surprise associated with the surveys was the large number of people who actually began talking to other people once these commercials came out," said Kristina DeNeve, director of spirituality and evangelization for the Diocese of Green Bay and coordinator of the CCH initiative. "Over 55 percent of respondents said they talked more about faith matters either in public places or in private with friends and family."

(Read the complete story here)

Catholics Come Home will begin in the Archdiocese of Boston in Lent of 2011. (Ash Wednesday in 2011 is March 9.) The page for the Boston effort notes the program include:

• Television commercials that convey an inviting and positive message about living as a Catholic

and

• Parish outreach and welcome by which Catholics reach out with a more personal invitation to friends, neighbors and family members and parishes provide opportunities to help people establish or re-establish a relationship with Jesus Christ in the body of believers that is the Catholic Church.