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- 1 Suggestions for Revival of Dioceses and Parishes
Suggestions for Revival of Dioceses and Parishes
This page provides simple ideas for helping to bring lapsed Catholics back to the practise of their faith and for inviting newcomers to become Catholic. It includes resources from the National Eucharistic Revival which help to prevent the downsizing and closing of parishes that could otherwise be revived.
Launch a Eucharistic Revival Campaign
1. Introduce a Diocesan Prayer for Eucharistic Revival — for the return of those who have been away and for new members — to be prayed in all parishes during or immediately after Mass, and disseminate it in Catholic schools with a request that it be prayed there.
Sample text:
Prayer for Spiritual Revival
Heavenly Father, we come before You seeking a Eucharistic Revival in our parish and diocese.
We thank You for Your Real Presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Draw back to the fold those who are missing out on the graces of the Sacraments.
Bring about a return to the practice of the Catholic faith.
Lead newcomers to join our parishes, to be able to receive You in Holy Communion,
and to enjoy spending time with You in Eucharistic Adoration before the Tabernacle or Monstrance.
Help us to increase Adoration and adorers.
We unite in this prayer and invite all to return or become Catholic Christians.
In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray.
Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us.
Amen.
- National Eucharistic Revival Prayer – National Eucharistic Revival Blog
- Sample Prayer for the Return of Lapsed Catholics to the Sacraments
Prayer for the Return of Lapsed Catholics
Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
Almighty Father, You desire not the death of the sinner, but that he may be converted and live.
Pour out upon us Your mercy and hear the prayers of Your servants.
Soften the hearts of Your children who have strayed from the true path which You established for their salvation.
They are now forgetful of their duties as Catholics and pursue the pleasures of the world.
Grant that they may quickly return to the practice of every Christian virtue,
so that their lives may shine with the integrity of faith, the fervor of piety, and the ardor of charity.
Restore them all to Your Sacraments and the life of Your grace, through the merits of the Most Precious Blood of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
- Flyer/Letters: Send a diocesan flyer letter (as other organizations do) via postal system to all residents in the diocese. Invite newcomers to learn more about the Catholic faith through OCIA; welcome back those who have been away, encouraging their return to the Sacraments. Invite to Eucharistic Adoration. Send “We miss you!” letter from parish priests (or bishop) to families in Catholic schools or lapsed Catholics in parish: Letter: Invite One Back–WeMiss You English/French. See other samples below
- Weekly Adoration: Encourage parishes to offer one extra weekly hour of exposition and to publish Prayer for Eucharistic Adoration and frequent Holy Communion in bulletin or cards. This prayer be could be recited as a parish out-loud after Communion at Masses: Prayer Cards | PDF | Canva
- Phone Calls: Launch a calling campaign to all non-practicing Catholics Sample Outreach Telephone Calling Script – Call all parishioners on parish lists who are not signed up for adoration or who may not have been to church in a while, inviting them to Mass and adoration and providing confession times! Sample Telephone Contact Script
- Home Visits: Conduct door-to-door priest or parish team home visits to all Catholic school families etc., especially lapsed Catholics.
- Formation: Consider offering a formation course for those requesting Sacraments to help retain them in the practice of the faith.
- Increase Clergy & Seminarians: Was anyone turned away for not taking injections? If so, they should be invited back and restored!
Resources from the National Eucharistic Revival
Walk with One Initiative
“Evangelization happens one-on-one, as Christ calls each by name (cf. Jn 10:3; Catechism of the Catholic Church 905)
Everyone can Evangelize.
In the Scriptures, we hear over and over how Jesus invited people one by one to follow him. He also invites us to follow him more deeply and, just like him, to “walk with one” (or more) persons to a new or renewed experience of God’s love. Evangelization, or “bringing the Good News,” typically happens in one-on-one moments that are not planned or scripted. This can happen at the grocery store, the bus stop, or a sporting event.
There is someone in your life right now whom Jesus longs to call to himself. He wants to spark a relationship with them and bless them with his sacraments. In this Year of Mission, Catholics are saying “yes” to a special form of heart-to-heart accompaniment called the Walk With One initiative. This is your opportunity to be God’s instrument in the life of another person. Imagine how our families, neighborhoods, and country will be transformed if every active Catholic answers this call!
Here’s a simple four-stage process of accompaniment that focuses on a “heart-to-heart” approach:
- Identify someone in a spirit of humility
- Intercede for that person in communion with the Holy Spirit
- Connect in Eucharistic friendship
- Invite that person on a path most suitable for him or her
Guide for this National Eucharistic Revival initiative: Walk With One
Invite One Back Initiative
For those who have not already recently implemented this iniative of the National Eucharistic Revival….
“Returning fallen-away members to the fold will set the groundwork for this new missionary chapter. The goal of this initiative is to fill the pews again. To do that, we all need to invite back everyone who has left in a way that makes sure they feel seen and desired as an individual member of your parish family. Whom are you called to invite home?”
Make Your Flock Whole
It’s a familiar story: the family you used to see at Mass every week slowly stopped showing up when “life got busy.” Or maybe there’s an elderly parishioner you haven’t seen since the COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago. Noticeable or not, we all have holes in our pews.
A 2014 PEW study found that 13% of all U.S. adults are former Catholics—and that was ten years ago! That means for every convert to the faith, there are at least 6.5 fallen-away Catholics. COVID-19 amplified this problem [Implication: 6.5x more lapsed than converts]. A 2022 CARA study showed a 7% decline in Sunday Mass attendance compared with pre-COVID data. This significant portion of Catholics lost connection with their local parish during the shutdowns, and just never came back.
It’s time to bring them home.
In this Year of Parish Revival, we are inviting clergy and parish leaders to pursue each lapsed member of their flock. Just like the Good Shepherd, we will call each of the lost sheep home as a part of the Invite One Back initiative. This campaign begins now in anticipation of the upcoming Year of Mission, when the wider Church will be sent out to win new souls for Christ. Returning fallen-away members to the fold will set the groundwork for this new missionary chapter.
The goal of this initiative is to guide people to intimate encounters with Jesus Christ and lead souls to salvation, allowing them to experience God’s love, mercy, and goodness. To do that, we all need to invite back everyone who has left in a way that makes sure they feel seen and desired as an individual member of your parish family. Whom are you called to invite home?
Click below to learn more about this timely initiative, and scroll down on this page for resources and information about how you can get started!
Who to Invite
Before you begin outreach, the clergy, staff, and leadership team at your parish will need to discern the following:
- [Prioritize registered parishioners, school families, and wedding/baptism records.]
- Who will receive these invitations? Make a list of parishioners you haven’t seen in a while or people who used to be members of your parish, and start praying for them now. Discern how you can best reach each member of that group, and make a plan to contact each one of them in whatever way would be most meaningful.
- Who will intercede for this initiative? Put together a team of prayer warriors dedicated to covering every fallen-away member of your parish in prayer. This is a great way to involve the whole parish in this meaningful campaign!
Your Tool Kit
Once you’ve discerned the right people to contact and enlisted intercessors for your campaign, it’s time to pursue the lost sheep! The National Eucharistic Revival created a variety of resources you can use to re-engage lapsed members of your parish. Each community is a little different, so choose the methods of communication you believe will be the most personal and effective for the people you serve. If you feel inspired to “invite one back” in a different way, that works too! There is plenty of room for creativity in this campaign. Know that we are praying for you on this journey.
In case you missed these National Eucharistic Revival resources for inviting people back to Mass include sample:
Letters
One of the best ways to reach lapsed parishioners is with a direct, personal invitation in the form of a letter. Below, you’ll find a few options for letters you can use as a template.
Choose the letter that will best resonate with your community, and copy the text of that document onto your parish letterhead. Feel free to personalize the content, and be sure to edit the custom fields so they contain the correct information!
Mail a letter to each person on the outreach list you discerned above. These invitations can also be sent via email, but in general, a physical letter will be most impactful.
Inviting Back After Covid
We Miss You
Post Cards
Another great option to reach your invitees is with beautiful printed postcards. These will catch the attention of the receiver, and postage costs will be lower than other mail options.
To help you create a beautiful postcard, we’ve prepared templates below using a system called Canva. Canva is a free design program that will allow you to begin with our template and customize it for your parish. Then, you can download the files to print yourself, bring the files to a local printer, or order prints right in Canva.
We’re Here for You
Spanish
VIETNAMESE
Spanish
VIETNAMESE
Eucharistic Revival
ENGLISH
Spanish
VIETNAMESE
Phone Calls: Calling Scripts
Downloads
Best Practices
- Prepare with a Prayer: Ask Jesus to give you his heart for this person before you pick up the phone, and invite the Holy Spirit into the conversation. God knows exactly what this person needs to hear and will speak through you.
- Keep Voicemails Short: Many people subconsciously associate the length of the voicemail with the amount of effort necessary to call back. Keep your first voicemail short and sweet. You can give more detail in the next voicemail if they miss your call a second time.
- Don’t Monologue: Give the other person a chance to speak within the first 15 seconds. Asking something simple like “How have you been?” before launching into the reason for your call is a great way to get the other person more invested in the conversation.
- Project Familiarity: Even if you don’t personally know the recipient of your call, they used to be a valued member of your parish family. On behalf of your parish, speak with the warmth that comes with that connection.
- Use Your History: If you DID personally interact with the parishioner when they were active at the parish, work as many details as you can into the conversation.
- Assume the Best: The goal of every call is to make the person on the other end feel seen, heard, valued, and desired as a member of your community. They should hear genuine concern in your voice, never accusation or judgment.
- Ask Open Questions: If you leave them room to answer with a yes or no, chances are they will choose to do so. These one-word responses won’t allow you to truly connect with the person on the other end of the call, and you won’t gain any insight into why they stopped coming to Mass or where they could use support from the parish community. Open ended questions allow you to encounter more of their heart and mind in their answers.
- Respond Appropriately: Their responses might pull you “off script”—and that’s ok! The most important thing is that you connect with them, wherever they’re at.
- Take Notes: When making a lot of calls, it can be easy to forget the details of each conversation. Have a pen and paper handy so you can remember what they shared with you. That way you can reference what you discussed next time you speak (e.g., “How’s your nephew feeling after his surgery?”).
- Don’t Hang Up Without a Plan: If they have questions about Catholicism, have you set up a time for them to come speak with the pastor? If they’re homebound, are you going to send an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to their home with the Body of Christ? Or are they going to say hello to you after Mass this Sunday to continue your conversation? Do your best to get their verbal agreement to a specific action and timeline. The more specific the commitment, the more likely people are to follow through. Reiterate these agreements at the end of the conversation so they’re fresh in both your minds, and write them down.
- Follow Up: Text or email after your call to thank them for their time and/or openness. Remind them of any commitments they made. (e.g., “I’ll see you at 11am Mass on Sunday!”) This makes it even more likely they will follow through.
- Measure Success: Track responses and follow-ups quarterly.
Holy Hours and Communion if parish becomes mission — Many countries and dioceses would benefit from a vigorous Eucharistic Revival and Adoration spiritual campaign. Recently, Masses at another rural parish (consisting of 4 parishes under a retired priest) were cut back to Sunday Obligation only. A daily Mass goer misses Jesus and will approach the priest to ask for a key to make a daily Holy Hour. In some places, when no priest is available for Mass, Communion services are offered. A bishop can permit the Blessed Sacrament to be reserved in specific homes of the laity in his diocese. In 2007, the Vatican’s Dicastry for Laity and Family Life endorsed Houses of Adoration.
- USCCB’s National Eucharistic Revival
- True and perpetual Eucharistic revival
- Perpetual Eucharistic Revival
- Increase Adoration in Your Diocese
- The Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration in Ireland
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