Dear Friends in Christ,

Since the CHNetwork started 17 years ago, we have been contacted by over 1800 non-Catholic clergy who were considering “coming Home” to the Catholic Church (this is not counting the thousands of non-clergy, laity, and fallen-away Catholics who have contacted us). Over half of these former clergy have “come home,” but the rest are still on the journey. With the joy of being received into the fullness of faith, these men and women also face many disheartening questions about the future. This it not only because they do not know how they will use their gifts and training after they convert, but also because they have heard about the struggles of other clergy converts. Often, this admixture of joy and fear leaves them in “no man’s land,” stuck between two worlds, unable to move forward or backwards.

Whenever we look to the future, Saint Paul reminds us that “[w]e know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Sometimes, though, in the immediate, when all the perceived ramifications of our decisions “out-shout” the voices of faith, hope, charity, and even reason, we can forget this promise.

In the midst of the spiritual battle, however, we must remember Jesus’ instructions: “Abide (remain) in me and I in you” (Jn 15:4). This does not imply a simplistic “Jesus and me” individuality, the trajectory of which leads to a rejection of the need for any church or community. Rather, this abiding relationship is an intense, complete, and ongoing union with Jesus through the means he has given us: through baptism, by which we become members of His Body, the Church (Jn 3; Eph 1:13; 3); through the Eucharist, by which we receive Him into our very being (Jn 6:56); through obedience in love and holiness, by which we please Him and become like Him (1 Jn 2:3-6 and following); and through prayer, by which we learn His will and to seek it (1 Jn 5:14-15), and receive His peace (Phil 4:6-7). Through these and other ways, we remain “in Him,” and since apart from being “in Him” we can do nothing (Jn 15:5), we need to be in union with Him in His Church. This is why the CHNetwork exists: to help anyone who asks to truly “abide in Him” as a member of His Body, the Church.

Please pray especially for the many Protestant clergy, and their families, who are presently on the journey home to the Catholic Church.

In Christ,

Marcus