Below are Resources that May Prove Helpful in Helping Bring Your Child Back to the Catholic Church.
Suggestions
For books, try starting with Always a Catholic: How to Keep Your Kids in the Faith for Life- and Bring Them Back If They Have Strayed by Fr. Sebastian Walshe. It provides insight into the perspective of the Catholic child.
Pray for the intercession of Saint Monica (prayer on the last page).
Depending on the sentiments of your child, perhaps do not tell them: “I am reading books or doing research to try to bring you back to Catholicism.” This may put them on the defensive.
Think of patients in hospital. If you were visiting a loved one in hospital, you would not overwhelm them with facts about treatment or give them lectures on what to do. Give them love and kindness and model the faith. Show them how Catholicism can bring them comfort and peace. They are already suffering. They do not need to be told about their suffering or asked if they are going to make it stop by returning to the Church. Everyone wants to be happy. Perhaps, show (do not tell) how Catholicism brings happiness and peace. Think of the saints who beamed with joy. They brought people to the faith by showing that joy in their lives.
The St. Monica Sodality Prayer for Fallen Away Catholics
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti.
“Eternal and merciful Father, I give You thanks for the gift of Your Divine Son Who suffered, died and rose for all mankind. I thank You also for my Catholic Faith and ask Your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflection on Your Word, and by regular participation in the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist.
You gave Saint Monica a spirit of selfless love manifested in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son Augustine. Inspired by boundless confidence in Your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer. I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in my prayer for [name(s)] who no longer share(s) in the intimate life of Your Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness that (he/she/they) may be open to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit, and return to loving union with Your Church. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for You alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti.
Source: The Coming Home Network
Online Resources
*Praying for Our Prodigals: www.prayingforourprodigals.com
(Parent Perspective: May be particularly useful)
CatholicAnswers: www.catholic.com
The Coming Home Network International: chnetwork.org
Catholics Come Home: www.catholicscomehome.org
Literature
The books in bold particularly helpful for parents.
Catholics Coming Home: A Journey of Reconciliation: A Handbook for Churches Reaching Out to Inactive Catholics by Carrie Kemp (1980)
How Can You Still Be Catholic by Christopher Sparks (2017)
Navigating the Tiber: How to Help Your Friends and Family Journey Toward the Catholic Faith by Devin Rose (2016)
One Moment Can Change a Soul: Helping Catholics Come Home by Tom Peterson (2020)
Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church by Brandon Vogt (2015)
Saint Monica and the Power of Persistent Prayer by Mike Aquilina and Mark W. Sullivan (2013)
Search and Rescue: How to Bring Your Family and Friends Into–or Back into–the Catholic Church by Patrick Madrid (2001)
The Saint Monica Club: How to Hope, Wait, and Pray for Your Fallen-Away Loved Ones by Maggie Green (2019)
20 Top Reasons Why People Leave the Church (and How to Respond) by Brandon Vogt (2024)
What to Say and How to Say It: Discuss Your Catholic Faith with Clarity and Confidence by Brandon Vogt (2020)
What to Say and How to Say It, Volume II: Discuss Your Catholic Faith with Clarity and Confidence by Brandon Vogt (2021)
What to Say and How to Say It, Volume III: Discuss Your Catholic Faith with Clarity and Confidence by Brandon Vogt (2022)
When a Loved One Leaves the Church by Lorene Hanley Duquin (2001)
Why I Choose The Catholic Faith: An Honest Journey for Believers, Skeptics, and Seekers of Truth by Fr. Daniel M. O’Rourke (2025)
Why We’re Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love by Trent Horn (2017)
For Books on Catholic Apologetics, visit: Catholic Apologetics Books.
PDF Packet Resource for Parents
Download GCRC Packet for Parents of Fallen-Away Catholics
