Returning Catholics FAQs: Can I Be Forgiven?

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

If I return, will I have to spend the rest of my life on my knees in the back of the church saying, “God, I’m really sorry,” over and over?

No, that’s why the Sacrament of Penance a...