Catholic church plans campaign to re-evangelise inactive members

The Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has launched its first outreach campaign to get people back into the pews, with its lapsed membership thought to number as many as five million.

It started at the weekend in York with Crossing the Threshold, a national tour of talks and workshops to help clergy and parishioners re-evangelise friends and family. Around a million people regularly attend mass on Sundays, but church leaders say there are many more who are baptised but do not go to church. Kieran Conry, bishop of Arundel and Brighton, said no-shows were more likely to do with laziness and children's extra-curricular commitments than controversies surrounding the pope or clerical sexual abuse scandals. Conry said: "We have something we're trying to market and we're just reminding people there's something that can bring you happiness, satisfaction and friendship."

"There are probably people out there who would like to come back but don't know how to go about it. There is a fear of standing out, of doing the wrong thing."

The tour will also take in Birmingham, Crawley and Cardiff. Catholic churches could be intimidating places, said Conry, and it was important for those taking part to offer a personal invitation to lapsed Catholics to come back.

full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/13/catholic-church-reevangelise-campaign

This smacks so much of desperation. Maybe people are leaving because of the church being soft on child-molesting priests. Or it's because of the general declining appeal of religion.

The dog usually takes care of Jesus freaks for me.

On Edit: To clarify: I don't care what religion you chose, I'm cool with that as long as you don't come around trying to tell ME what religion to be.

In my Southern Maine town growing up, we had 5 Catholic churches in our 2 communities - 2 cities separated by the Saco River. There is now 1. As a practicing ex-Catholic, I won't be answering the call. They are just too disconnected with the issues that are important to me.

5 million sounds about right there. Here it'd be a hell of a lot more.

which my husband watches. In a word? No, thanks. I became a lapsed Catholic in Catholic HS almost 50 years ago. If I ever get religion, it will definifitely not be the Catholic Church.

they would be well advised to examine the reasons they left in the first place. Things such as pedophilia, authoritarianism, rigidity and sexism.

I quit 53 years ago. And I'm 60.

but my aunts did.

tithes. must have tithes to support the pope mobile and all the other royalty like stuff the church does. i know i have no desire to go back. i am not lapsed... i am recovering.... no thanks. you can keep your bs to yourselves... and i'll save my money for things like actually helping people and not making another robe for the pope.

They left for a reason.