Apr 8, 2013
They were there at the 7:30 a.m. Mass in my parish on Easter Sunday as well as Masses throughout the day. Faces I had never seen before filled the pews, many finely dressed, just as they had come at Christmas. What draws this group of people these two days each year, what some call “C&E,” Christmas and Easter Catholics? Perhaps it is nostalgia for what they experienced as children – the sort feeling I have for Disney World, where I went as a kid. Or maybe they like the festive Mass and feeling of hope and renewal the seasons bring. Whatever their reasons, they are connected enough to their faith to realize that something important is held in the tradition, even if they do not attend Mass the rest of the year.
I wonder why they fell away and no longer practice their faith, and why they make the effort on these two days to dress up and come to Mass. Is it because they are looking for something, or more importantly, Someone? Are their hearts restless and their lives empty? Do they secretly long for the Church of their childhood memories? Whatever the reasons, let me challenge all of us to stop making fun of these brothers and sisters in Christ, or looking down on them. Shame on us if we do!
We have all heard of the New Evangelization. We are supposed to reach out, in a particular way to those who have already been evangelized and share again with them the Good News. We have countless thousands of Catholics who are not actively practicing their faith marching into our parishes twice a year and we are doing very little to win them back. This group is possibly the most fertile ground for our evangelization efforts. How can we help them?
Five Ways We Can Help “C & E” Catholics