Dear Friends of TCT:
The end of the year approaches and, with it, our year-end fundraising. Unlike many other groups, we only come to you twice a year, but that doesn’t mean your support is any less crucial. In fact, we count on your generosity to make it possible for us to bring you The Catholic Thing every day, 365 days a year.
What a year 2016 has been! Besides all the usual ups and downs that come with being part of the Roman Catholic Church, this year we had the controversy following the pope’s release of his Apostolic Exhortation on Marriage, Amoris laetitia. My “Papal Posse” colleague Fr. Gerald Murray and I did a video commentary on EWTN the morning that document was released, which got attention worldwide. We knew then that much trouble would follow. And it has.
Just a few days ago – after months of confusion about what Amoris laetitia teaches – four cardinals publicly released a letter they wrote to the Holy Father in September, immediately after the leak of a letter from Francis to a group of Argentine bishops, which seemed to allow Communion for the divorced and remarried. Indeed, it said there was no other valid interpretation.
I wrote a column back then that got nearly 50,000 hits, about 2 ½ times the number of our regular email subscribers. I heard the morning it appeared from leaders in Rome, several foreign countries, and all over America, some asking whether bishops would speak out the same way. Now they have.
I think it’s fair to say that no Catholic publication has produced the coverage of such events that we have – or equal global impact. We want to do more of that in coming years because, it appears, the need is only going to increase.
And of course we want to continue to bring you our talented set of writers: Fr. James V. Schall, Hadley Arkes, Brad Miner, Fr. Paul Scalia, Francis Beckwith, David Warren, Fr. C. J. McCloskey, Fr. Murray, and many more who, I know from your correspondence, you value highly.
That’s why we’ve also decide to do something new in 2017. We’ll be organizing some events with select writers around the country next year. I just did a panel discussion at Assumption College last month, which included Archbishop Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and was moderated by Raymond Arroyo. If you’d like to encourage us to do an event like that near you in 2017, please let us know.
And of course help us by making a tax-deductible donation to our work. No one is getting wealthy at TCT, but we stay at our various tasks because we cannot ignore the many challenges facing Catholics in the modern world – and even in the Church – today.
I’ve said it many times: if every reader sent in $35 – or if its more comfortable for you set up an automatic monthly donation (even $10 a month make a big difference to us) – then we could quickly finish with the business of filthy lucre and get back to our main work. But not all our brothers and sisters are fortunate enough to be able to afford even that sort of subscription fee. So I have to ask you – lots of you – to make up for those readers (who we still appreciate) who pray for us and help by introducing us to their friends. Can you afford $70 to help underwrite another reader, or $105, or $500, or $1000, or more?
I don’t believe in scaremongering funding appeals that tell you the world will come to an end if you don’t donate. It will come to an end whether you donate or not – in God’s good time. In the meantime, I have great confidence, based in past experience, that readers of The Catholic Thing know why they come here to read us every day and why they should support us. But let’s make life easier for everyone all around: donate today and help TCT become an even greater presence in reshaping the Church and our world.
With every good wish,
Robert Royal
