Coming together

Catholics who don’t go to church or who go only rarely, should know that the Church hasn’t forgotten them. She is concerned about them and awaits their return. These are the objectives of “KIT”, Keeping In Touch: a project launched an evening of four years ago in the parish church of St. Joseph, in London’s district of Upminster, which is gradually spreading throughout the Country. Ex-teacher Sheila Keefe, 73 – five daughters and 12 grandchildren, who dedicated her whole life to the service of the parish, is one of the promoters. She told Sir how KIT reached out to dozens of “lapsed Catholics”. Starting from the roots. The point of departure is Upminster’s “Roots” project. “I was involved in the ‘Rite for the Catholic initiation of adults’, a program attended by those who intend to become Catholic. We realized that those Catholics who for years had been distant from the Church and wanted to come closer again, brought their guilt feelings and their resentment in the meetings. This had a negative impact on those who for the first time approached the Church with great enthusiasm”, Mrs. Keefe said. Along with a group of 12 parishioners she decided to “ensure lapsed Catholics their own space, giving life to a new “Roots” program. Two by two. Two by two in each parish home. “After preparatory work, during which we asked ourselves why we are Catholics, we consulted parish registers to identify those who came to Church and those who didn’t. We decided to go visit the latter in their own homes”, Mrs. Keefe explained. “Our visits were introduced by a letter from the parish priest who made clear that the initiative enjoyed his support and if they wished, they could avoid our visit”. “We told those who opened their doors: you must know that you are Catholics, that you belong to the church. We want to know that you are well, if there is something we can do for you, and tell us what you think of our Parish. We didn’t want to proselytize, we were sincerely interested in their stories and their wellbeing”. A positive response. Only two refused out of 400 homes visited. This shows that ” lapsed Catholics were eager to speak to someone of their story. The faith that these people cherished alone, without the help of the parish community and of the Sacraments, was remarkable”. Unfortunately, when the “Roots” team visit drew close to its end, parishioners had nothing to offer to those who wished to return to the Church. This why “KIT” was created out of “Roots”. In the meantime Sheila Keefe moved with her family to another Parish, also called St.Joseph but in Romsey, on the Southern coast of the UK.Moving moments. Here the program started anew with small groups focusing on those who wish to return to the Church. “We meet seven or eight times every two weeks in one of the homes. Here two or three Catholics who want to return to the Church, are joined by those who already attend the Church”, Keefe said. “We speak about how the week is proceeding and then have moment of prayer. Then each one of us shares his faith progress with the rest of the group. Finally, we read and discuss an aspect of the Second Vatican Council. The last meeting is attended by the parish priest who offers Confession and celebrates the Mass. For all those who had been distant for many years this is a moving moment”. Reasons for success. “When we form the group who will seek the lapsed Catholics we make sure that we are choosing people who drifted away from the Church and finally returned, or people who have many non-Catholic friends and other experiences which are far from the Catholic Church” – she explained – “we try to avoid those people who were always near the Church since it might cow those who took a distance from the community”. “I believe that these lay people have a special ministry to offer since they are able to communicate to those who are distant at their same level, while a priest might make them feel nervous”. A value which cannot be measured. “It’s impossible to measure our work. The letter written by the priest, announcing our visit, is extremely important since it forces people to ask themselves at what point they are in their journey of faith. We don’t know what will be the impact of our conversations on them, they might return to mass without telling us, or more time might be necessary for them to return to the Church”.