When I left the Catholic church some 40 years ago, I wanted to "make something of myself" without having an authority figure like the church telling me what was right and what was wrong. I was in college then and living on campus, the first time I was ever away from home and family. For several decades I thought I had the luxury of personal freedom, but over time and much worldly experience, I actually felt lost and empty. I wasn't alone.

My wife, Jessica, also left the church, feeling exactly the way I did. Without realizing God had always been with us, we embarked on a soul-searching spiritual journey. That was in 1999.

I must say it has been a circuitous road scouring many different churches and religions before we finally found our way back home. In 2000, known as the Jubilee Year, a "time for harvest and renewal" as declared by Pope John Paul II, we returned to the Catholic church and it was a most joyous and humbling experience! We now realize that when we were young it was trendy to disdain traditional values. We saw the church as archaic, full of cobwebs and old rituals. Today, we have enthusiastically reconnected to those rules of right living taught by our church and ministered through the holy sacraments and the celebration of the Mass.

Though our experiences were unique to us, I know there are many others out there who are still lost, still wandering aimlessly. Realizing the serious need to welcome those back into the fold, the church is now pressing ahead to find ways to achieve this difficult challenge.

After all, a survey of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found that one-third to one-half of registered parishioners are inactive, attending Mass infrequently or not at all.

In 1992, Sally Mews wrote "Inviting Catholics Home," a result of many years of working with inactive Catholics in a program she pioneered, Catholics Returning Home. Mews found people leave the church for many reasons: boredom, indifference, ignorance and misunderstanding of the basic beliefs, anger and hurt (real or perceived) caused by representatives of the church, and anger at God. Like Jessica and I, some have mentioned having drifted away during college years while struggling with life choices and searching for their own identity.

In January 2005 the Catholics Returning Home Program started here when the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa offered the pilot program with the Rev. Gary Colton. Since then, several other parishes on O'ahu and the Big Island set up their own programs.

It is heartening to know that our church today is making an earnest effort to reach out to those who haven't quite made it back home yet.

Jessica and I are so grateful to God. We now experience the luxury of peace, joy, love and simplicity in ways we've never imagined. Before, we used to be so driven in everything we did, which brought us untold stress and fatigue. It's a wonder we're still alive!

Today, we find time to do God's work and it's a joy serving even in the simplest ways. We hope, in sharing our experience, those who haven't made the bold step might consider there is a joyous life awaiting them in God's embrace.

Venny Villapando currently serves in various ministries at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa. See information on the upcoming Catholics Returning Home classes in this week's Faith calendar.