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I was Catholic onceStep 5 of 7

Back to Mass

Your first Sunday back. What to do, what to skip, what to expect.

Start here

Watch this first

How to Come Back to the Church After an Absence · Catholic Answers

Give it 3 minutes, then come back and we’ll walk through it together.

Video: How to Come Back to the Church After an Absence, Catholic Answers Live, published Jun 16, 2017. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

You’re expected back, like the son the father ran to meet.1 If you’re aware of serious sin, go to confession before receiving Communion; it’s a door, not a wall.2

Watch first Or start reading1 min read
Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio: the risen Christ blesses bread as two disciples recognize Him.

Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus, 1601. National Gallery, London. Public domain, source.

Journeys / I was Catholic once / Step 5 of 7

On this page

Quick answers to related questions

Keep reading

All 7 steps in I was Catholic once You’re on step 5
  1. 1. You are welcome back
  2. 2. What may have changed since you left
  3. 3. Hard questions and hurts, honestly
  4. 4. How confession works now
  5. 5. Back to Mass
  6. 6. “Is my situation fixable?”
  7. 7. A simple habit of prayer

Your old parish, or a new one

The father saw his son a long way off and ran to him.3

The Church says the center of that story is the merciful father.1

You don’t need to sneak in. You’re expected.

01The first Sunday

What to actually do

Pick a Mass time. Sit wherever you like. Stand, sit and kneel with everyone else. If the words feel new, that’s because some changed in 2011; the card in the pew helps.

If you’re not ready for Communion yet, stay seated or come forward with arms crossed for a blessing. Nobody will notice, and nobody’s keeping score.

So when can you receive again?

02Communion

Confession first, if you need it

Church teaching

If you’re aware of a serious sin, the Church asks you to go to confession before receiving Communion.2

That’s not a wall. It’s a door with a priest waiting behind it.4

And after that?

03Staying

Making it stick

Church teaching

Sunday is the day the Church gathers around the risen Christ.5 The Church asks Catholics to keep it.6

Pick one Mass time and make it your standing appointment. Habits beat good intentions.

Next: if you think your situation can’t be fixed.

Your move

Try this, this week

  1. Pick one Mass this weekend and go.
  2. Look up confession times at that parish.
  3. Read Luke 15:11-32 the night before.

You’ll need

  • One Sunday Mass time.
  • A little courage.

Remember You don’t need to sneak in. You’re expected.

If this is hard

If walking in brings back pain, sit near the door, and give yourself permission to leave early the first time. Coming back is a process.

How to talk to a priest

Only one thing to do

Your one next step

Find the parish, pick one Mass time this weekend, and go.

Find a parish near you

Step 5 of 7 · I was Catholic once

Next: is my situation fixable?

Step 6: “Is my situation fixable?”
Back to all steps

Take it with you

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Short link: stoneandincense.com/go/ch5

Your real next step

This page can’t give you the sacraments. A parish can.

We’re just pointing. People walk with you. Find a Catholic parish near you, go to a Mass, or just ask a priest for ten minutes. You don’t need to have it figured out.

Take the next step What to say when you call

Notes

How we know · 6 sources for this page
  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1439. vatican.va
  2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1385. vatican.va
  3. Luke 15:20, World English Bible. read the chapter
  4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1442. vatican.va
  5. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2177. vatican.va
  6. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2180. vatican.va

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America Copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with Permission. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain), modern verse numbers; Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Early Christian writers: Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885, public domain). Video: “How to Come Back to the Church After an Absence,” Catholic Answers Live, supporting material, not a teaching source.

Scenes marked “Imagine” are an invitation to picture the moment, not a historical record. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.