It’s already the middle of August. The full heat of summer has not yet left us, but the nights and mornings have lost their claustrophobic grip, giving way to cooler air and gentle breezes as autumn awaits.
In the Vatican, however, things are only getting hotter. One wonders if they can smell fire and brimstone yet in Rome.
From Francis changing the Catechism on a matter of divinely revealed truth to new claims from one of his former spokesmen that he can “break Catholic traditions whenever he wants” and can unilaterally rule the Church rather than it being ruled “by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture” – the enemies within Holy Mother Church have become more brazen than ever before.
They are saying these things in the open now. They do not believe they can be stopped.
In addition, this month, 1P5 has played a crucial role in exposing two stories pertaining to clerical misconduct that has led to action being taken in the respective dioceses in question. This is only the beginning of what may soon become a tidal wave of new accusations in the wake of the McCarrick revelations – revelations that will only further enhance the danger presented to faithful Catholics trying to hold on and raise their children in this incredibly trying moment for our faith.
Faithful Catholics who come here to find comfort and solace in the recognition that they are not alone.
Meanwhile, 1P5 is excited to announce that we have hired our former associate editor on a more permanent basis, with a promotion to senior editor. Drew Belsky, who has been part of the 1P5 team for over a year, will now be handling all incoming submissions and helping us to standardize style and content for the site. We are also in the process of adding new writers to our roster of regular featured contributors and looking to expand our scope of coverage into more areas pertaining to the rebuilding and restoration of Catholicism, beyond just the Church news of the day.
All of this is possible because of you.
You, the readers; you, the people who share our stories far and wide; you, the people who financially support this work so we can continue to build and grow upon a foundation we laid four years ago this month, when 1P5 was launched – and to deliver hundreds of thousands of pages of content each month to Catholics around the world.
And as we do every month at this time, we’re coming to you today with our modest appeal: if you haven’t done so already, please help us to reach our fundraising goal of just $20,000 per month to cover our staff and operating expenses. Unlike other publications seeking to raise far more significant amounts in short periods of time, we promote an ongoing monthly campaign so people who can afford to give a little each time rather than a lot all at once have an opportunity to contribute to what we’re all building together here.
The foundation of our support is built on our recurring monthly donors, many of whom give $20, $50, or even $100 or more each month. For those unable to participate at this level, even a $1 contribution from a few thousand people would go a long way toward our goal. (We strongly encourage recurring donations so we know how much revenue we can expect each month – it’s a simple checkbox in the checkout form that allows you to “set it and forget it.”)
Remember that 1P5 is established as a tax-exempt charitable organization in the United States, so for many of you, your gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
We hope you will prayerfully consider becoming an active part of our mission as we continue to tackle the most difficult issues during this unprecedented time in Church history.
As always, you can go to www.onepeterfive.com/donate, or just click the “I Want to Help” button to use the in-line donation form below. For those who prefer to donate by check, we have mailing instructions here.
Thank you, and may God bless you abundantly for your support!