Returning Catholics FAQs: About the True Presence

O n 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.

I was raised Catholic. I didn’t understand the whole “true presence” thing at communion then, and I’m still not sure what it means.

Catholics believe that we are spiritually nour...