It’s hard to believe that 2017 is almost over.
It was a year of big expectations. The Fatima Centennial. Unusual signs in the heavens. Growing global instability. The much hoped-for “formal correction of the pope.”
What we got was actually quite different, but certainly newsworthy. In fact, much of what was expected never materialized. Still, we were surprised by the unexpected death of two dubia cardinals. We saw a story about how some of the cardinals who elected Pope Francis were ready for him to resign to stop the amount and extent of the damage his governance was doing. We saw the pope force Cardinal Müller to fire three of his best priests at the CDF for no reason — and then Müller himself got the boot. We heard stories about a scandalous drug-fueled gay orgy in a Vatican apartment — an apartment occupied by a priest who worked closely with one of Francis’ trusted prelates, Cardinal Coccopalmerio of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. We witnessed the publication of the Filial Correction and the letter of Fr. Weinandy (and the latter’s summary dismissal from the USCCB.) We saw a deeply controversial and heterodox text published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis in an attempt to make it an official act of papal magisterium. We saw the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s abominable reformation. We saw the publication of the book The Dictator Pope, which continues to send shockwaves through the Church.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
Through it all, we’ve been with you every step of the way. We’ve continued to grow, serving up nearly 7 million pages of content (a figure we’ll likely surpass by year’s end) to readers from literally all over the world. For goodness’ sake, we’ve logged over 2,700 visits just from within the Holy See — not bad for a country with a population of only 451 — and have been assured by Vatican insiders that the work we do here is very much on their radar. We’ve made important contacts with faithful Catholic thought leaders from many countries and built collaborative relationships with them. We are now working with the very best men and women Catholicism has to offer in resisting the progressive agenda that seeks to undermine the most fundamental teachings of our faith.
As one donor wrote to me yesterday, “I don’t exactly what niche it is you’re filling, but whatever it is, don’t change a thing. You have amazing contributors, and the articles are fantastic!”
He is hardly alone in that sentiment. You’ve told us time and again that you’ve come to look to us as one of the few sources of information on Church affairs that you can really trust. And big part of why we’ve been able to maintain that credibility is that we rely on you — the readers, who want to know the truth — to keep us funded. We’ve had a few large donations this year from anonymous benefactors (thank you, whoever you are!) but they have all done so with no strings attached. Not one of those donors has asked for a single story to be written — or written differently; not one has made their support conditional on us taking a more diplomatic line, or avoiding certain topics. They, like the rest of our supporters, want us to keep doing what we’re doing.
And so we will. I don’t know what to expect next year any more than you do, but I know that if we’re in it together, we’ll make it through.
With that in mind, I ask you to consider helping us to finish the year on a strong financial footing. We’re already at a little over 50% of our goal for this month. 100% is in reach. We know that not everyone who gives in support of our work is eligible for the tax deduction, but for those who are, we want to remind you that OnePeterFive is a is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All US donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law — and this month is the last chance to get those in for 2017.
I would also like to thank all the donors this year who made our work possible. You don’t get enough credit, but I know who you are, and I am extremely grateful for all that you do.
And finally, whether or not you can contribute financially, please know that we need your prayers now more than ever. In turn, we will pray for all of you.
As we finish out the year, all of us at OnePeterFive would like to wish you a grace-filled advent, a blessed and merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!
In Christ,
Steve Skojec
Publisher & Executive Director
OnePeterFive.com
