On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
I came back to the Church for Holy Communion, not to meet a bunch of new people. Why do your answers so often talk about volunteering and joining groups?
It’s true. I’m a joiner, and pretty much always have been, even as a child and during the 
decades I was away from the Church. When I came back in December 2005, I joined any parish or Catholic committee or organization that would have me.
That meant I met a lot of good people and learned a lot about living the faith and Catholicism’s rich tradition in a very compressed period. It also meant I was a bit of a bull in a china shop. There still are people who feel the bruises from unkind, judgmental remarks I made about the way Parish Council and other activities were operated. It took a long time before I realized that the thing that bothered me the most–I was having to communicate, collaborate, and compromise with people with whom I had nothing in common but faith–was the thing that helped me mature and grow the most.
You see, Christianity isn’t meant to be lived in a vacuum, just you and God. Here’s what the Catechism has to say on the matter:
In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate (emphasis added) in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function.
Joining is a way of learning–and teaching. Joining is a way of humbling yourself–and of being humbled. You don’t have to go overboard as I did. But do get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ in more than a social setting. Get to know them as fellow vineyard workers, striving to bring souls to the Kingdom.
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