Q’s from the Pews: Who is the Lost Sheep?May 24, 2026

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? (Lk 15:4) What would you do if you knew of a lost sheep? Perhaps more importantly, who would even notice one was lost?

In 1991, Pope St. John Paul II called for a New Evangelization—a renewed outreach to fallen away Catholics. Within St. Columba’s parish boundaries, there may be around 2,000 “lost sheep” according to Pew Research data. This inspired the Lost Sheep Project, which began two years ago.

Our team identified about 1,200 parishioners who had drifted away and tried to contact them by phone and email, with limited success. The reason became clear: we had not gone where the sheep were. New Evangelization means more than outreach—it means we must go to the sheep, show them that they are loved, and walk with them back home.

The initial Lost Sheep Project was a good first step. Now we need to move to a new phase. We need each of you to help bring them home. I want to challenge you today to see yourself as the shepherd in Jesus’ parable. Each of us is called to notice who is missing, reach out with compassion, and help bring our brothers and sisters back into the fold.

Please send all questions for future columns to Jim Gregory.