It’s Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church. What became of the people who packed the pews just seven Sundays ago, on Easter?

And how wonderful would it be if they were here with us this Sunday — and every Sunday — instead of playing hooky until next Christmas?

The good news is, there are proven ways to help marginal, nominal and fallen-away Catholics return to weekly Mass attendance and regular reception of the sacrament of reconciliation.

According to author, apologist and EWTN host Patrick Madrid, it’s vital to be aware of two key principles if you have “Christmas and Easter” Catholics in your circle of family and friends.

“The most important factor in rebuilding lost faith is the leadership of the priest,” he says. “The second important factor is leadership and courage on the part of the laypeople.”

Many laity allow themselves to be cowed into silence, he says, even when ripe opportunities arise to invite non-practicing Catholics to Mass. The culprit? The cultural conditioning that says it’s best not to “make waves” over politics or religion.

“We’ve got to regain a sense of holy confidence,” says Madrid, because “we’ve got the responsibility of the watchman appointed by God in Ezekiel 33:1-11 to warn of danger.” It’s possible to fulfill this prophetic role without being the least bit pushy. In fact, he adds, respectful interactions have opened more hearts to the faith than blunt arguments ever will.

And, as in most things, actions — also known as “living your witness” — sometimes speak louder than words.

Just ask Ann Farone of Maple Grove, Minn. She helped bring her husband Stephen back into the Church before they were married four years ago. Both are in their 20s.

The process began on their first date. “When he saw how important the Catholic faith was to me and how passionate I was about it,” Ann recalls, “that helped him with the choice to come back.” When she invited Stephen to Mass, he went.

“People would be surprised by the response they’d get,” she adds, “if they took that chance and talked openly about their personal belief and gave the invitation.”

Back From the Brink

Example and invitation are firm foundations on which families, too, can build their witness.

“The best way to get people to come back is through other families,” says Father Bryce Sibley, pastor of St. Joseph Church and St. Louis Church, both in Parks, La.

Many times he’s seen family members come back after witnessing the joy of new life and spiritual blessings from the Lord. This contagious happiness is especially visible, he says, in young couples who’ve turned their lives around, are going to confession and are making a concerted effort to take their faith seriously.

Such families radiate Christ’s magnetic love, as Madrid makes clear in his Search and Rescue (Sophia Institute, 2001), which outlines time-tested techniques to bring fallen-away Catholics back to church.

“Begin by praying for your family member or friend by name,” Madrid counsels. “[I]f the only thing you can do is pray, that’s fine — so long as you do it, starting right now.”

And try to get them to pray. Ann taught Stephen about the Rosary. Along with confession, it became a major turning point for him.

Once the fallen-away get to a Mass, the leadership of the priest comes to the fore.

“Occasions such as Christmas, Easter, weddings and funerals are golden opportunities to reach out and touch somebody with the truth,” notes Madrid, adding that priests may have only a 15-minute window to reach these people who go to Mass only a few times a year.

If a prime opportunity for grace passes by, he says, who knows if there’ll be another Christmas or Easter for that person? There’s got to be a sense of urgency to “get right with God” via clear, unambiguous explicit statements about the spiritual dangers people put themselves into when they neglect Mass, the sacraments and the realities of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell.

Madrid points out that the present moment is always the right time to heed St.  Paul’s directives in 2 Timothy 4:2: “[P]reach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.”         

New Beginnings

“I know people who have been shaken and returned to their faith after a charitable, respectful — but firm — proclamation of the truth,” Madrid says. “If we have the double whammy of bold laity combined with bold priests in the pulpit, we’d see many re-conversions to the faith.”

Meanwhile Father Sibley’s experience is that beautiful, accurate, respectful and reverent liturgies draw people back in droves. “That’s why there have to be consistently beautiful liturgies,” he says.

Next, he and Madrid recommend getting folks to confession.

Ann Farone took that step quickly. She talked to Steve about apprehensions many have after being away from the sacrament quite a while.

“I told him: Go to confession and you won’t have to think about those things ever again,” Ann says. “I tried to focus on God’s love and mercy for all of us. I told him I haven’t been perfect either, but Jesus is there for you and here’s a chance to wipe it all away.”

Stephen returned. Ann rejoiced. “He had a powerful conversion back to the Church after his initial confession,” she recalls. He also had a hunger to learn about the Church and began questioning and reading from books such as St. Faustina’s diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul.

“The only thing I had to do,” says Ann, “was be willing to answer a lot of questions about the faith and to find the answers if I didn’t know them.”

Even if others’ responses aren’t as immediately fervent as Stephen’s was, once a foot is in the door, Father Sibley recommends introducing the individual to a knowledgeable and pastoral priest.

Be inviting, advises Father Sibley. “Meet with them. Point them in the right direction. Help them along in baby steps. Help them get themselves in a right relation with the Church to receive the sacraments, such as working right away to correct bad marriages or apply for annulments.”

“If they feel they’re supported and have someone to walk with,” he says, “it’s more likely they’ll stick it out.”

Farone’s experience shows the task isn’t always difficult.

“I don’t want to take credit for bringing Steve back to the Church,” she says. “He had such a burning desire and curiosity to come back. I just cracked the door open and the Holy Spirit entered through that tiny crack and did his work.”

That’s about all he needs to turn the fire of Pentecost into an eternal flame of Christian faith.

Joseph Pronechen writes from

Trumbull, Connecticut.