Falling back isn’t just about daylight savings time. It has other meanings too. Let me explain.

Reason 1: You can fall back to the faith. In this issue of The Observer, we are running the second in a series of stories about folks coming back to the faith. The first installment of this periodic and ongoing series debuted in the March 4 issue (page 16) This series is not about converts. The series profiles what may be called “reverts”; those people raised in the Catholic church who fell away and came back at one point or another. Most importantly, though, the series is about personal conversion.

In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is important for people to know that no matter where you are in your faith, God is there for you. God is not just for the fervent and ultra-religious. God is our Father and like most Fathers, He loves His children and wants what is best even though the children may not do the best for themselves or Him.

This series goal is two-fold. First, it is a message for those who may be marginal in the practice of or embrace of their faith and friendship with Christ. The stories of why others left the church and fell back can give hope and encouragement to others who might be struggling in this regard. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), approximately 13 percent of all Catholics in attendance today are reverts and that, according to CARA, is equivalent to 2.3 million people. This is an important statistic that is grossly underreported (and a partial remedy for that is in Reason 2 below).

Even CARA admits that this number is somewhat low due to the fact the survey on which these numbers are based was conducted only in English. CARA reports, “We can estimate that there are likely at the current time, an additional 360,000 Spanish-speaking reverts.”

Second, the series is inspiration. For those who are faithful attendants at Mass and confession it can inspire them to keep the fire within themselves burning for their own salvation and as a beacon to others as to how to live the faith.

I think it is important to tell these inspirational stories of reverts so that it gives hope to all Catholics and gives all those already in the pews something important to pray for. We want our Catholic brothers and sisters to fall back and come home because the Father loves them and our Catholic family is not the same without them.

Reason 2: You can fall back to The Observer. This issue of The Observer is being sent to every registered Catholic in the Diocese of Rockford this week so all of our people can share in receiving the important message of the Office of Charitable Giving. It is that time of year when we remind Catholics about all the important ministries supported each year by your generous contributions. It is also a time when we pack extra stories into the pages of The Observer so our non-subscribing friends can see what they could be receiving each week and “fall back” into our family of subscribers. (You can become a subscriber online or with a simple phone call.) We want to encourage you to fall back to the good news whether you read it online or in print. We want the regular opportunity to inspire you.

And reading a Catholic newspaper is not an old-fashioned activity. First it is a more popular activity than you think and used by a demographic that puts value in what they read and expects a quality product.

Again, using CARA research, there are currently 14.5 million people who read Catholic publications which means that roughly one in 20 people in the U.S. is reading Catholic content. The advantage Catholic readers of The Observer have over those who just surf the internet for Catholic content, is that they do not have to wonder if the content is legitimate. Our content is honest, trustworthy, credible, faith-filled and faithful and we work hard to make it so. In fact, in a research study on new media, CARA survey respondents cited the lack of a system on the internet to validate supposed Catholic sites and content as authentic and the lack of civil tone in conversations happening on the internet as two top concerns. Readers of The Observer don’t have those concerns. So if you enjoy what you see, give us a try.

We welcome your “fall back” anytime.