While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics, and Those Thinking about It [Paperback]

William J. Bausch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994

Each chapter closes with a brief annotated list of resources for further reading. Ideal for the Rite of Christian Initation for Adults, this book will also serve well for parish evangelization and ourtreach.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Twenty-Third Publications; annotated edition edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896225755
• ISBN-13: 978-0896225756
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Catholicism > Inspirational

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Off the mark..., December 17, 2002

By 

Marcel LeJeune "Author of "Set Free to Lo... (College Station, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics, and Those Thinking about It (Paperback)

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.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly honest and insightful, September 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics, and Those Thinking about It (Paperback)

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, July 27, 2006

By 

Linnymsw "Linda Stultz" (Martinez, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics, and Those Thinking about It (Paperback)

I got this book because I was exploring whether or not I was going to come back into the church. I was looking for some guidance around the changes that have occurred. The author continuously makes the assumption that the reader has already decided to come back and is enthusiastically ready to begin. This was frustrating to me as I was not in that category. It is also quite judgemental on a lot of levels, making a lot of assumptions about people that are quite disrespectful and not very catholic (excuse the pun). On the whole, while I learned a bit about some of the changes in the church while I've been gone, mostly this book convinced me that coming back would be the wrong choice for me at this time. So, I guess, in some ways, it was helpful after all.