While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics, and Those Thinking About It

Rating:
Summary: Great resource for returning Catholics
Review: As a parish lay minister involved in Adult Faith Formation, I have found this book without equal in "reintroducing" Catholic faith to people who have been away from active practice, or who have never been properly catechized in Catholic teaching. Fr. Bausch writes with honesty, humor and compassion. It is particulaly helpful to Catholics raised in the church before Vatican II, but I have found that younger Catholics also enjoy reading it and benefit from a view of the church that is both accurate and contemporary. This book makes it easier for people to return to an active practice of their faith. I give a copy of this book to anyone who expresses a desire to return to the church, or (as the title says) is thinking about it.

Rating:
Summary: Off the mark...
Review: Bausch has written a book that invites non-practicing Catholics back to the Church, an admirable reason to write, but it is full of opinion and dissent.

Bausch basically steers clear of the "controversial" subjects by merely introducing them as controversial and then leaves for the reader to make up their own mind on the matter. There is no attempt to explain the doctrines (unless it is to explain them away) and while some may view this as a "compassionate" thing to do, allowing someone to live in error is never compassionate when we just put blinders on.

Bausch also fails to make proper distinctions. He talks about "women's issues" as if the Church despises women. He calls the Church dysfunctional and says that to come back into the Church you merely need to heal your negative perceptions. Note: there is no discussion on personal repentance.

After giving a long explanation about how authority in the Church really doesn't mean much anymore and how it is all continuing to change anyway he writes, "you can dissent and remain a faithful Catholic". (page 65)

Of course his authority for such a statement is himself and he fails to back it up or explain it. He gives reasons why contraception can be used by Catholics (rather statistics why it can be used), he supports female priests, active homosexuality and calls the Church's teachings on the matter "the tradition is ambivalent and often hurtful" (page 91).

Steer clear of this book unless you want to try and whitewash the Church's teachings and ignore that we are called to obedience in any sense of the word. Grausch's book isn't for those wishing to return to the Church, it is for those who want to change it into their own image and likeness.

Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly honest and insightful
Review: I was given this book by the Benedictine nun in charge of my parish's religious education program. As a returning Catholic, I found this book to be exhilarating in its honesty about the Church's flawed history and the changes it has undergone in recent years. Like the book says, "Eccesia semper reformanda": The Church is always in need of reform. We must always strive for perfection. This book does a great job of explaining why certain changes have been and are being made. Contrary to popular belief, many changes are being made not for the sake of modernity, but with an eye to recreating the ancient church as it existed during the time of Christ. Other changes reflect new insights that have been introduced as the Church evolves. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is curious about what's going on in the Church these days.