Karen Dill wanted to return to her Catholic faith, but she was carrying around too much anger toward the church after her divorce.<\/p>\n
That was nearly 20 years ago, long before the clergy sexual-abuse scandal or the church closings that have alienated even more Catholics in recent years.<\/p>\n
Now, Dill, 60, of Manchester, N.H., is not only back, she’s helping other Catholics find their way through a program called “Welcome Home.” She runs it with the Rev. Gary J. Belliveau, pastor of St. Kathryn Church in Hudson, N.H.<\/p>\n
The seven-week program offers counseling, speakers and perhaps most importantly, Belliveau and Dill say, a chance to be heard.<\/p>\n
And other local churches, like St. Mary’s in Chelmsford, for one, see it as a ray of hope to drawing others back to their faith.<\/p>\n
Divorced and away from the church for 15 years, Dill felt “let down” by the faith that was once an important part of her life.<\/p>\n
“I was very angry at what I perceived was a lack of compassion” from a church that does not allow remarried Catholics to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion or to remarry in the church, she says.<\/p>\n
Also, Dill says she was angry with the church’s stand against abortion and birth control.<\/p>\n
In 1985, while Dill was exploring other faith communities, a friend suggested she revisit the Catholic Church, saying, “the church had changed.”<\/p>\n
On a whim, Dill walked into a church in Manchester, where Belliveau was the newly ordained associate pastor. She sought guidance for an annulment.<\/p>\n