Welcome! You are wanted, needed, and a gift to God and all who worship Him
By Claire Collins
I want to address my brothers and sisters in Christ who just came into full communion with the Catholic Church this past Easter or who are preparing to very soon. I want to say so many things. First, welcome!
I want to assure you just how excited and grateful we are that you are here. I want to be a source of encouragement and joy. I want you to know that no matter what the journey looked like for you to get here or looks like now that you’ve made this great decision, that it is very, very good that you are here and that God’s grace is eternally being poured out to you.
Several years ago, while doing missionary work on college campuses, the overall attitude I experienced about the American Catholic Church was one of needed rehabilitation; the Church was not thriving and she needed laborers in the vineyard. Many significant moments and figures—the prophetic words of St. John Paul II at World Youth Day in Denver in 1993, the work of Mother Angelica on EWTN, the establishment of organizations like the Fellowship of Catholic University Students and Lifeteen, Father Mike Schmitz videos, and Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire to name only a few—have paved the way for a revival in the American Church as seen by the record number of people seeking full communion in the Diocese of Knoxville and around the country, particularly this year.
I’m not sure how you found yourself here. Maybe you saw a YouTube video or listened to a podcast. Maybe a particular doctrine or dogma piqued your interest. Maybe a dissatisfaction with your prior community, or your own lack of community, or the lie that is often sold in our culture that nothing matters, made you start asking deeper and harder questions. Maybe you looked around at the beauty of this world and realized there’s no way this all happened by accident. Maybe someone you love or admire led you to consider your own worldview more deeply. And now, you are here.
However it was that God drew you to this moment, to this big and momentous decision, I hope you see all the ways that God works for the good of those who love Him. I’m sure there were many moments along the way that could have been easily overlooked as coincidental but surely were nothing less than divine providence. I hope you see the great plan God has had for your life, full of joys and sufferings, all of which led you here.
I know many of you have had to overcome great obstacles to get where you are now: family members who disagree or misunderstand your decision; communities that no longer welcome you because you are Catholic; friends who think you’ve had the wool pulled over your eyes; even your own self-doubt, still unanswered questions, or difficult teachings you are still wrestling with.
Even those of us who have been here our whole lives have had to wrestle with these questions, tackle these doubts, and come to terms with the countercultural nature of what it means to truly be a Catholic Christian. We’ve been misunderstood, scrutinized, and (hopefully) had to ask question after question ourselves. We’re with you; we don’t have it all figured out either, and we’re in it together.
Now, this family that you are a part of is a messy family. She’s wonderful. She’s full of good things. And she’s full of broken people in need of a Savior. I hope you know this when you have a less-than-ideal encounter with someone in the Church, because you will. The Church is, as they say, a hospital for sinners. Even her most prominent members are great sinners in need of Jesus’ mercy. Though the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, the people who make up that Church are all fighting a spiritual battle and will fail greatly while doing so. That is kind of the point, I guess, but it still stings to experience it and can shock us to the core when we do.
Also, know this—the Church NEEDS you. She needs your unique gifts and charisms. She needs what you bring with you. She needs your joy and excitement, your experiences, your specific skill set. She needs you exactly as you are, ready to grow and be transformed but also ready to serve and give of yourself wherever it is you feel the Holy Spirit might be calling. Take some time to get the hang of things but also don’t be afraid for whatever it is the Lord might ask of you, whenever it is He might invite you to serve. Maybe it’s a small group, a service organization, a hidden Holy Hour, a welcoming face at Mass, a children’s ministry. Whatever it is, the Church needs you.
It will take time to build that community you desire in this new place, to make the deep and lasting friendships you hope to find in a Church community. Don’t give up on this too soon, and please don’t think you can do this alone. We are a body with many members, and the members cannot thrive on their own. Get involved where you can, be patient and trust, and don’t be afraid to make invitations. We’re working on getting better at this community thing ourselves, and sometimes we could really use the example of someone who knows what it could look like to get something beautiful started.
The Church is eternally rich and full of beauty, so don’t feel like you have to take advantage of every devotion, every saint story, every practice. It would be impossible, and God will draw your heart to the specific ways in which He wants to speak to you. It will probably be different from those around you, and that is a good thing.
The diversity of saints is one of the most beautiful things about the Catholic Church—that this same body can canonize someone who served the poorest of the poor, someone who never left their monastery, someone who was killed for their faith, an intellectual who preached to the masses, and someone who died young with courage. This Church is for everyone, not some cookie-cutter version of who we think we’re supposed to be.
And ultimately remember, amid the smells and bells, the opinions and preferences, and various experiences you might have within this sacred and holy Church, our ultimate goal is to follow the One who made us, who loves us, who created us, and who cares for us.
We must follow Him and Him alone, and put aside anything that prevents us from doing so. No great voice or example, pious practice, or popular idea can replace the person of Jesus Christ. In times when things are messy or unclear, His clarity will come. In times when we feel alone and isolated, His presence will heal. In times when things seem dismal and dark, His light will shine. This we can know and trust.
What else can I say? So many things. But I will end with this: welcome once again. So many of us want to walk with you, to answer your questions, to get to know you and your families, and to help you know just how good it is that you are here. We hope that you soon find your place among the rows of new faces, that once strangers become dear friends, and that this decision to become Catholic changes the trajectory of your life.
Know of our prayers for you and our joy at this great moment in your life.