©2022 Victor R. Claveau, MJ
- Primarily related to needs not being met in the Catholic Church. We must admit that we as Catholics do a very poor job, on the parish level, in meeting the needs of the poor, the lonely and the marginalized.
- Poor religious training. We have been suffering from unbelievably poor catechesis on the part of the Church since Vatican II. Uneducated Catholics are easy prey for any group that appears to provide a panacea. Most leave the Church out of ignorance of the teachings of Christ as taught by the Church. The study of apologetics is many times discouraged as being too aggressive.
- Recruitment and training techniques of the sects. These people who go door to door, whether they are Mormons of Jehovah’s Witnesses are highly trained in evangelization techniques.
Unfortunately, these groups are not yet seen as a threat by many of our bishops; rather they are seen as a “pastoral challenge”.
We need a dynamic pastoral approach at every level of our Church if we are to save the souls that our Lord has entrusted to us.
My personal apostolate was started 36 years ago because of my personal concern.
John Donne said it best: “No man is an island, entire of itself; everyman is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee” (Meditation XVII).
Each and every time a person leaves the true family of God, we are all diminished.
As adults, we need to have an adult understanding of Catholic doctrine and the Bible. 1 Cor. 13:11‑12 “When I was a child I used to talk like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways aside.
Many adults still have a child-like understanding of Catholicism that we received from the Baltimore catechism. We were not necessarily taught Catholic doctrine from Scripture and other traditional writings. As a result, the faith many Catholics can easily be shaken when confronted by those who appear to have a better understanding of Scripture.
We must become evangelists of these evangelists.
Today’s Witnesses can be found on street corners in just about every major city throughout the world, pacing down the boulevards with a Watchtower magazine in their hands. Each and every weekend you’ll find the going from door to door searching for prospective converts.