When I started 1P5, I encapsulated its mission statement within the tagline: “Rebuilding Catholic Culture, Restoring Catholic Tradition.”
Before long, however, the need for an honest, unflinching look at the news coming out of Rome diverted much of our attention to what seems to be a never-ending cascade of outrageous stories of the crisis in the Church. And while it’s important that we recognize, document, and confront these evils, there is little spiritual benefit to staring at the incoming asteroid every. single. day. We need more than a daily barrage of bad news. We need to remind ourselves of the beauty of Catholicism, and why it is the force that produced countless saints and shaped all of Western Civilization.
With that in mind, we need your stories.
If you know of a positive development that shows how even now, grace is at work in building up the Mystical Body of Christ please consider submitting an article or pitch to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!
Examples of things we’re looking for:
- The story of a thriving new religious community, or an old one finding new life through traditional liturgy and practices. (Example: The Terror and Joy of Worship — Parts One and Two)
- A parish that has successfully gotten a traditional Latin Mass started and built a fruitful community around it, or gotten a schola off the ground, etc. (Example: Beauty is a Salve: St. Mary Star of the Sea Schola, Jackson, MI )
- Stories of sacred art and music being created in contemporary times (or profiles of the artists and musicians making it) (Example: Conversion Through Art: The Music of Frank La Rocca)
- Devotional practices that can be practiced at home to enrich Catholic life or better raise children with an authentic understanding of the faith. (Example: The Chalking of the Doors)
- Catholics Influencing Culture: people who bring Catholic ethos to their work as novelists, writers, educators, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs. (Example: Faith and Works in a Science Fictional Universe)
- Essays — particularly photo essays — about Catholic history, monuments, landmarks, etc. (Example: A Pearl in the Desert: San Xavier del Bac)
- Other topics you think would be helpful, instructive, inspiring, or uplifting. (Use your imagination! Example: An NFL Kicker, A Faithful Priest, and the Traditional Latin Mass)
People often ask me, after reading about all that’s going on today, “What can I do?” Well, the first thing is, as Hilary White wrote recently, to pray. Take that effort seriously. But if you’re looking for more hands-on action, consider this: together, we can do more than just stand watch as the infiltrators attempt to destroy what we love and hold most dear. We can encourage, support, inspire, and learn from each other how best to rebuild what has been lost. We may not be able to ignore the crisis, but we can spend more of our time looking beyond it, knowing that the future belongs to Christ and those who love Him.
Steve Skojec is the Founding Publisher of OnePeterFive.com. He received his BA in Communications and Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2001. His commentary has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Crisis Magazine, EWTN, Huffington Post Live, The Fox News Channel, Foreign Policy, and the BBC. Steve and his wife Jamie have eight children. You can find more of his writing at his Substack, The Skojec File.