An Invitation, With No Strings Attached: When the Ones You Love Leave the Church. Video. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 2004. Almost every Catholic has a friend or family member who has stopped going to Church. Video to give to friends and family members, inviting them to return to the Church, especially to the local parish. It offers space at the end to video tape a local parish message to inactive Catholics.

Aridas, Rev. Chris, Steve Benthal, and John J. Boucher. From Ashes to Fire: A Process for Lenten, Eastertime, and Pentecost Evangelization—Parish Manual. Brentwood, NY: CHARISM, 2000. Learn how to turn the time from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost into an annual season of Catholic evangelization—involving all parish ministries and active parishioners. Printed resources include Parish Manual, Parish Mission booklet, and small group Bible study booklet. For more information: contact Therese Boucher, tmfboucher@comcast.net, 609-452-8954.

Bausch, William J. While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics - and Those Thinking About It. Twenty-Third Publications, 1994, 2000. Some key questions and concern of returning Catholics answered.

Boucher, Therese. Evangelizing Unchurched Children: A Pocketbook for Catechists. San Jose, CA: Resource Publications, 2000. Resources Publications, Inc., 160 East Virginia St, #290, San Jose, CA 95112-5848. (888) 273-7782, www.rpinet.com or www.christkey.com. Practical ways to reach out to evangelize unchurched children and their inactive Catholic families through faith stories, Scripture, drama, sacraments, and symbols exploring implications of the Church’s General Directory for Catechesis.

Boucher, Therese. Making Friends With the Saints. Boston, MA: Daughters of St. Paul, 1990. 50 St. Paul Ave., Boston, MA, 02130, (800) 376-9121, www.pauline.org or www.christkey.com. E-mail: pauline@netrover.com. Inactive Catholics are often open to the faith stories of the Saints who have touched their lives in some way. Deepening their relationships with these friends of Jesus often leads them back to Christ and the Church.

Catholics Reaching Out. Washington, DC: PNCEA, 2005. Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. 3031 Fourth St., NE, Washington, DC 20017. (202) 832-5022, www.pncea.org, E-mail: pncea@pncea.org. Invitational approach to reaching out to inactive and marginal Catholics. Tools provided for all active Catholics to do this—with resource kit that includes invitations, Parishioner Guide, Parish Manual, and display posters.

Christian Hospitality: A Handbook for Parishes. Evangelization Ministry, Archdiocese of Louisville, 1200 South Shelby St., Louisville, KY 40203-2600, (502) 636-0296, Hospitality is more than waiting for people to come to Church; it is as important as a way that we bring Church to the people. Handbook contains sample parish models and programs.

www.cmonback.com. Outreach to inactive Catholic Website of Holy Family Parish, Arcadia, WI. For those who have become distanced from the Catholic Church. Helps to answer questions and to heal the difficulties of the past.

Reaching Out: A Manual for Evangelizing Inactive Catholics. Resource Packet. Evangelization Ministry, Archdiocese of Louisville, 1200 South Shelby St., Louisville, KY 40203-2600, (502) 636-0296. Designed to assist the parish in surfacing, inviting, and nurturing inactive Catholics, and in helping them to explore a return to the Church.

Duquin, Lorene Hanley. Could You Ever Come Back to the Catholic Church? New York: Alba House, 1997. www.albahouse.org. Why people come back and what they come back to are also considered in a way that is designed to help an individual make up his or her own mind about what God may be asking.

Duquin, Lorene Hanley. When a Loved One Leaves the Church: What You Can Do. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2001. Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750, (800) 348-2440, www.osv.com, E-mail: osvbooks@osv.com. Church teaching, sociological studies, and plain old common sense to bring comfort and understanding to those who bear the burden of having a loved one leave the Faith.

Harmony, Sarah. Re-membering: The Ministry of Welcoming Alienated and Inactive Catholics. The Liturgical Press, 1991. Honors the process of conversion on this returning journey, and explains the reconciling ministry of the entire Catholic community.

Kemp, Carrie. Catholics Can Come Home Again: A Guide for the Journey of Reconciliation with Inactive Catholics. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2001. Paulist Press, 997 Macarthur Blvd., Mahwah, NJ 07430, (800) 218-1903, www.paulistpress.com, E-mail: info@paulistpress.com. A handbook for welcoming inactive Catholics back to membership or participation in a parish community. Provides insights as to why some return and some don’t, as well as a six session process for helping people return.

Landings: A Ministry of Reconciliation from the Paulist Fathers. http://www.landings-international.org. Contact : Joan Horn - Phone: 512-452-7566, E-mail: jhorn@paulist.org. Landings is a parish-based small group process with a dimension of apostolic outreach. Landings empowers laity to welcome back returning Catholics in a structured process that takes 8 - 10 weeks.

Mews, Sally L. Inviting Catholics Home: A Parish Program. Liguori, MO: Liguori Press, 2002. www.liguori.org. E-mail: bookstore@liguori.org. Six-week support program aimed at helping Catholics return to the Church. See www.catholicsreturninghome.org. Uses a nonjudgmental approach. Program activities point out shared experiences and help participants view old problems in a new light. Contact: ssmews@comcast.net.

Mews, Sally L. Returning Home to Your Catholic Faith: An Invitation. Liguori, MO: Liguori Press, 2003. www.liguori.org. E-mail: bookstore@liguori.org. Guide book for returning Catholics—including books, bulletin, and Web site resources—to help them have a smoother transition in coming back to the Catholic Church.

www.OnceCatholic.org. OnceCatholic.org Ministry Team, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1615 Republic St., Cincinnati, OH 45210. The mission of OnceCatholic.org is to put inactive Catholics back in touch with a face-to-face community of Catholics. Along the way, they want to walk with each person as he/she sorts through their issues with the Church. Find out more about this ministry at www.AmericanCatholic.org.

PNCEA’s New Movers List Program. Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. 3031 Fourth St., NE, Washington, DC 20017. (202) 832-5022, www.pncea.org, E-mail: pncea@pncea.org. Resource to help parishes to reach out by mail to newcomers via zip codes. New movers lists provided monthly to help with outreach.

Reconciling Community—Celebrating the Sacrament of Penance. Washington, DC: PNCEA, 2005. Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. 3031 Fourth St., NE, Washington, DC 20017. (202) 832-5022, www.pncea.org, E-mail: pncea@pncea.org. Resources to invite inactive/active Catholics to the Sacrament of Reconciliation—with sample letters, penance services, examination of conscience, What is the Sacrament of Penance? Brochures, and Parish Guide and CD.

"Reaching Out to Inactive Catholics." St. Anthony Messenger Online. Web site: http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jun2001/Editorial.asp. Nine reasons why Catholics become inactive and some concrete things that we can do to reach out to them.

Saltarelli, Bishop Michael A. "How to Reach Inactive Catholics: A Pastoral Statement by the Diocese of Wilmington." Origins, January 27, 2000. www.cdow.org/inactivecatholics2.html. After the U.S. Bishops Committee on Evangelization researched why Catholic become inactive, Bishop Saltarelli selected nine of these reasons to suggest how the Church might respond.

Strangers No More: An Educational Process for Contacting, Inviting, Welcoming, and Integrating Alienated and Inactive Catholics. Cleveland, OH: Diocese of Cleveland, 1996. Office of Evangelization, 1031 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114. Resource of ministry tools from many previously published works for reaching out to Inactive Catholics.