Catholic evangelist on bringing fallen-away Catholics back: ‘It’s all about love’

Leading with love is key to bringing fallen-away Catholics back to the Church, a Catholic evangelist said, drawing on the lesson that changed his own approach to sharing the faith.

Bryan Mercier, president of Catholic Truth, discussed his own deepening in the faith during a Sept. 17 talk titled, “How to Bring Lapsed Catholics Back Home” at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Trumbull, Connecticut, according to a Sept. 20 report from the Diocese of Bridgeport.

“It’s all about love, not about being right,” Mercier said.

The diocese explained that as a teenager, Mercier said he struggled with anger and depression before experiencing what he described as a “St. Paul conversion” at Franciscan University. Later, while praying outside an abortion facility, questions from other Christians about Catholicism, including why he was Catholic, made him realize how little he knew about explaining his beliefs.

“I had no idea what to say, so I began researching,” he said. “It shook my faith because I didn’t know what I believed. I knew I loved Jesus, but I couldn’t explain it. I just knew it was right.”

Mercier said months of study gave him greater knowledge of the faith and the ability to answer questions, but he became angry when others would not listen.

During another encounter outside an abortion facility, Mercier said he argued with a woman until she was brought to tears. It was his friend’s response to the woman, however, that caused him to reconsider his own approach.

“She was laying on cement, sobbing. I saw my friend, who couldn’t even explain her faith to save her soul, sitting with this woman, listening,” he said. “What did she do to get through to her? Then God gave me a lightning bolt – you have been doing it wrong! It’s all about love, not about being right. I saw that in 3D. My friend showed her God’s love, like St. Anthony of Padua, who said, ‘If you do not have love, all of your efforts are in vain.’”

Mercier said the encounter did not diminish the importance of knowing the faith, but changed how he put that knowledge into practice.

“I match that with love, care, kindness and respect for people. You have to have both, but if you must err, err on love over knowledge,” he said.

Mercier brought that approach to his advice for Catholics hoping to draw family members and friends back to the Church.

“You need a deep prayer life. If you want to bring people back, you need to pray to God and pray for them,” he said.

He also encouraged Catholics to understand why someone left the Church and to build relationships in which trust can grow.

Mercier described small, everyday acts as another way Catholics can share their faith. 

“Little ways of evangelization,” he said. “These are little things you can do each day in people’s lives, like having religious art or crosses in your house.”

He also encouraged Catholics to invite others to Mass, adoration, or confession.

Mercier concluded, “To bring lapsed Catholics back, we must do it through our example.”