I received an e-mail the other day from a woman who had generously shared her story with me for my latest book, “When’s God Gonna Call Me Back?” Her words of praise for my work touched my heart, and I was grateful to learn her reaction to the book. She felt I had handled her story well and had done a good job of gently addressing the conflicts and tensions that cause Catholics to lapse in their faith. Her opinion carries a great deal of weight for me; I know it was especially hard for her to be so open and frank.

However, this perceptive young woman brought up a new angle to my book that I hadn’t seen. Now that she’s come back to the church, she’s finding that many of her Catholic friends and acquaintances have developed a “we” versus “they” attitude. They see Catholics who have lapsed in their faith as “bad” Catholics, as a “they” who stand outside of the “we.”

It’s 4 a.m. and for the fourth night sleep eludes me. Five decades of the rosary and praying for everyone [...]

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Genevieve Sanfelippo, "Grandma Gen" and Anne Catalane, director of leisure services at Milwaukee Catholic Home, pose with a copy of [...]