My recent post on CHNI forums.... Life after RCIA -

While discussing RCIA and other things with a Catholic friend at work, I told her about some dreams and hopes I had for our new lay apostolate we started last year here in Omaha called RECON and the expectations and hopes I have for another 'facet' to RECON involving a radio program in the future. (I volunteer at KVSS and I know there's a reason God has led me there, and I "see" something on the horizon...)

My friend, Mary, agreed that many times, there's sometimes a big lack of "activity" after 9 months or so of RCIA and sometimes, if sponsors haven't been all that enthused or involved, many (up to 20% or more I've heard) drop between the cracks and sometimes out the door of the Church to more "lively" fellowships or perhaps even stumble and fall hard enough to lose their faith, if not grounded or taught thoroughly. Not putting anyone down here, but I was a statistic like that back in the 70's. It was a "sloppy theology" back then, and I was "ripe for the pickin'" by some articulate anti-Catholic tracts by Last Days Ministries. They weren't like Jack Chick tracts, but they sure misled me, because I was hungry for Truth, and the "sloppy" quasi-protestant Catholicism I was being immersed in via the Charismatic Renewal and some misguided Catholics and priests, well, it didn't exactly appeal to me, or draw me closer to the Church when the Church seemed to just want to "not be so Catholic" and appeal to the masses (no pun intended.) The charismatic renewal wasn't "wrong" but where we were, the Church wanted to be more "open and free" so much so, that quite frankly, it was easy to 'slip out the door.' They threw out the baby with the bath water and without the books and plethora of wonderful t.v., radio, as we have today, my 'head' conversion didn't keep me in the Church because my heart longed for the "spirit and heart" I'd witnessed and received at another fellowship of Pentecostals. That took us out and away from the Catholic Church for 26 years and brought about so much confusion at times, I almost lost my faith and my soul.

So, here it is, 2007 and we've been back in the Catholic Church for 2.5 years. Last year, with MUCH enthusiasm, we formed RECON under the auspices of the Church and the blessing of our Chancellor in the Archdiocese of Omaha. We have about 8 people who've been to a meeting or have come to a few meetings and the potential is there for us to take off and grow as time goes on, with air time on KVSS, and our blurb in the Catholic Voice newspaper, it's sure to happen. We are also going to be at the Luis Palau Heartland Festival in Omaha in July, at the KVSS tent to spread the news about Catholic Radio and RECON.

We hope to meet many fallen away Catholics and those who might be seriously thinking of returning, as was my husband before me, and now will find a place that offers safety, and support, understanding of the struggles with friendship and fellowship and prayer. We aren't theologians and we aren't even college grads...no degrees behind either my name or my husbands. What we do possess is a true zeal and love for the Church, Sacred Tradition and orthodoxy. We have a strong desire to share the faith that we're coming to actually LEARN ourselves, through the many books, radio, and EWTN programing. We want to be that support group for others just where we were a few years ago. Seekers of truth, longing for "home" and realizing the weaknesses of Evangelicalism were just too numerous to hold us in the church we were part of for 13 years.

RECON is 'life after RCIA' as someone other than myself or my husband has expressed to us, and I do think it's an apt description of the vision for this endeavor. We're not a "formal" class setting, we're not teaching per se, but simply offering a place to gather to share our love, fears, joys, sorrows, frustrations, etc.

I wanted to post this here to welcome those on this thread or visiting this forum who are from Omaha or the surrounding area, to come to the Holy Family Shrine. Every first Sunday of each month, 5:30 p.m. until 7:30ish...(sometimes we hang out there longer) and find a friendly, small group of people who've got a love and burning passion for the Roman Catholic Church/Faith! Our hope is to be a place where people can meet others from different parishes and find common ground, i.e. a love for bible study, prayer, rosary making, cenacle of Divine Mercy, book club, other interests and "go forth" in "twos" or more, out into the community and help our priests/parishes building up each parish and spread that same fire within those church families to help 'keep the RCIAers' IN the flock and ACTIVE. To radiate Christ and bring home the lost and confused back into the fold with love and vibrantly expressed faith.

Exit 432 on I-80, (Gretna Interchange) Left (S) on Hwy 31 and Right (W) on Pflug Road. The State of NE did finally erect some signs so follow those. It took 3 years to determine that enough people are visiting the Shrine to acquire the signs, so it's easier to find now.

We'd love to see you, meet with you, talk and pray with you. Learn more about RECON here on the webpage.

http://www.tconl.com/~richmelk/recon.htm

PAX,
susie

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