Dear Friend of Catholic Exchange: On June 28, 2008, the Catholic Church will begin its celebration of the Year of St. Paul, the single most important evangelist in the history of the Church. Question: If St. Paul were here spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ today, would he use the Internet?
You bet he would! St. Paul used whatever means available, becoming “all things to all” in the hope of saving as many souls as possible. The Catholic Church has always done the same, making use of whatever new technologies and means of communication came to hand to present the riches of love and truth in Jesus Christ.
The Internet has become a phenomenon that has grown our economy, made obscure people known, and made knowledge accessible at the touch of a mouse and in the comfort of your home. But did you realize that it is also becoming one of the greatest evangelization tools in the history of Christianity?
Catholic Exchange is at the forefront of this wonderful development in technology. We have been touching and changing lives by the power of the Spirit for seven years next week!
We were there for the man searching for info on vasectomies and who found Natural Family Planning resources that helped inform his conscience.
We were there for the woman looking for a Bible Study and who found one that was Catholic and would not lead her away from the sacraments.
We were there for the faithful Catholic seeking a place to surf online and avoid the sinful garbage found everywhere on the ‘net.
We were there for the thousands around the world who have stumbled upon a faithful Homily or Word of Encouragement.
We were there for thousands more looking for quality online Catholic media that revealed the truth and beauty of the Faith through podcasts and video.
We were there for the person looking for Catholic teaching on divorce and remarriage to share with a friend, for concrete answers on cremation, for folks trying to locate a First Communion or Confirmation gift.
We were there for the millions looking for faith formation surrounding such cultural events as the releases of major Hollywood films on the Passion, The Chronicles of Narnia, Kinsey and The DaVinci Code.
We were there for the many thousands who wanted to reach their fallen-away neighbors with something as moving and relatable as Champions of Faith: Baseball.
Do you know someone who fits these descriptions? Was this you at some point in your faith journey?
Catholic Exchange is the place on the Web where any person who needs a place to be uplifted, educated, motivated, encouraged and enabled to pursue the path of sanctity and holiness can come and drink.
For the last seven years, Catholic Exchange has done this for a huge global audience and with the faithful support of Catholics just like you. In fact, some of our viewers have supported us from Day One. And we don’t mean to slow down! Despite our growing pains and recent technical difficulties, our eighth year will begin with a bang. These times of rapidly changing political, social and economic conditions literally cry out for Internet evangelization.
Have you checked out our new content offerings on Theology of the Body and The Integrated Life? Those, of course, are in addition to our tried-and-true channels and dozens of selections of fresh, free daily content from some of the finest Catholic writers, teachers, speakers and educators in the world. And we won’t be stopping there. Our goal is to make Catholic Exchange the place on the Web where anybody — from anywhere on earth — can encounter the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaimed in fullness in the Catholic Church!
But we can’t do that without you. In the Internet world, we need to expand and keep up with the technology. And that requires financial support since we are a completely non-profit organization.
Catholics often lament that they don’t know how to evangelize. The great thing about being Catholic, however, is that you are part of the Body of Christ. If you want to evangelize but aren’t sure how or can’t devote enough time to it personally, then please help us to do our work! Our site has been proclaiming the gospel, not just in the English-speaking world, but from China to Turkey.
So will you please help us with as large a “birthday donation” as you can muster? Jesus promises in the parable of the talents that what you invest in terms of perishable wealth, you will receive back manifold in the riches of the Kingdom to come. Our obligation is not to hide our faith under a basket, but to let the world see the truth and beauty of our Catholic Faith. Ask yourself, if not now, when? If not you, then who?
<<Click here>> to support CE and its Evangelization efforts today and into the future.
Thanks again for your financial support, your continuing efforts to join us in our evangelization efforts by telling a friend, and most importantly your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Tom Allen
Editor & President
P.S. Our new offerings of Theology of the Body and The Integrated Life are just the start of truly great new content additions on Catholic Exchange.
We are mere days away from the launch of a new Catholic Bioethics channel to educate Catholics on some of the thorniest problems in science — problems that involve today’s headlines and tomorrow’s decisions at the bedsides of our own family members. The need for this information is urgent, so please help us today with your most generous donation. Just <<click here>>.