Will Catholic Exchange See Another Birthday?

Can you believe it? Thanks to you, Catholic Exchange is five years old!

Providence and Generosity

In my quarterly updates I always like to share with you, the readers and supporters of Catholic Exchange, some of the latest exciting and uplifting news about the work that you make possible. However, this time around, as we celebrate the fifth birthday of Catholic Exchange, I need to let you know right from the beginning that many of these important programs are in peril!

For the past five years, Catholic Exchange has been at the forefront of Catholic media, providing a strong voice for Catholic truth in the language of the culture. Our efforts are geared toward reaching everyone — but lapsed and lukewarm Catholics in particular — whose faith needs a boost. Our goal is to reach people “where they are” with the hope of bringing them to where they need to be. We've had tremendous victories thanks to our loyal viewers. But now we're at a point where we need to ask, with the greatest of urgency, for a little help from our friends.

As a lay-run, non-profit, charitable organization, Catholic Exchange receives no funding from the Church. For the past five years, we have relied completely on God's providence and the generosity of people like you to keep our work thriving. And while we have been honored and humbled by the response of our viewers and friends many times in the past, the support that we have received so far this year has not been enough to meet the needs of the many people we serve. We therefore face a very difficult decision.

If Catholic Exchange does not raise $230,000 within the next three months, we will have to cut back programs that are helping millions of people come to know their Catholic faith and grow closer to God.

Where would we start cutting back? Would we stop offering on a daily basis our flagship CatholicExchange.com web portal that prompted this pro-life leader to say:

I love Catholic Exchange! Not only does the site present us with the full range of teachings of the ancient Faith, but they are unabashedly pro-life and leaders in the counter-revolution of conscience. I look at CE every chance I get and am never disappointed. — Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President, Human Life International

Or would we pull the reins on our powerful Catholic Scripture Study program that has already helped thousands learn the Bible according to the teachings of the Catholic Church and is now used in over 400 parishes worldwide?

I love the combination of Bible study and learning the Catholic faith [in CSS]. I have seen people completely change their view of the Church. — Georgeann McGarry, Brussels, Belgium

We've already brought the New Evangelization to the Internet through CatholicExchange.com, to the parish through CSS, and even to Hollywood through our best-selling guidebooks A Guide to The Passion, A Guide to Narnia, and The DaVinci Deception, our most recent book debunking the blasphemous lies of The DaVinci Code.

We Impact the Cultural Conversation

Now we're revitalizing Catholic radio with our lively new radio program, Catholic Exchange Today. After only one month on the airwaves, it's already playing on radio stations across the country, with more about to add the show. Listeners love Catholic Exchange Today because it's fast-paced and engaging like secular radio, but packed with clearly presented Catholic ideas and great regular guests like Patrick Madrid, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio and Teresa Tomeo.

All of these vital projects are influencing the news and entertainment media with authentic Catholic content. Wouldn't it be a shame if they had to be scaled back or shut down entirely?

Catholic Exchange is just what the Church of the 21st century needs. It's smart, relevant, accessible and blessedly above the political polarization that so defines most religious media. It isn't just a tool of the New Evangelization called for by John Paul II; it IS the New Evangelization! — Barbara R. Nicolosi, Founder, Act One, Inc. www.actoneprogram.com

We're already running a lean, fat-free organization. We keep our costs low so every one of our contributors' dollars goes as far as possible. We have no fancy headquarters, no slick color newsletters, or high-priced consultants. Our small but efficient team is made up of dedicated and experienced media professionals, many with young families who could be earning twice as much in the private sector. They stay because they have seen the fruits of their labors: lives changed, faith restored, families reconciled, priests ordained, new Catholics baptized, and the cultural conversation dramatically impacted. Yet without your help this month, for the first time in our five-year history we will not be able to meet the payroll of our loyal staffers, many of whom have been with us from the beginning.

There's also plenty of work behind the scenes that needs to be done. Have you noticed that over the past few months, the Catholic Exchange website has shut down a few times? The problem is that the site runs on an antiquated computer system that was built over five years ago to serve a much smaller audience. Our current visitor traffic is overwhelming those old machines, and they simply can't continue to operate at our current growth rate. We are fixing the problem and are halfway through the system-wide rebuild that we announced last year. We expect to go live with the brand new CatholicExchange.com in November, but it's taken its toll on our financial resources, and again, we cannot complete the job unless and until we reach that $230,000 target.

If you believe in the power of God's truth, and want to follow our late beloved Pope John Paul II's call for a new evangelization, then we need you on our team. Please help us! We are convinced that if we can continue getting the Catholic Church's saving message in front of as many people as possible using the tools of mass communication, then the Holy Spirit will continue doing the rest. But we can't do it alone. We need you! We need your prayers! We need your encouragement! And we need your support!

We at Catholic Exchange are not quitters. We are not going to give up God's fight for any reason. It's just not our style to throw in the towel and say we're beaten.

Catholic Exchange certainly didn't back down during the papal transition last April. Remember how everyone expected the news coverage to be the usual Catholic-bashing from the secular media and liberal Catholic commentators?

Well, we believed that Pope John Paul II's legacy deserved better. We teamed up with the Maximus Group, the country's premier Catholic public relations organization, to fill the major news shows with faithful Catholics instead of the “usual suspects.” And by the Grace of God, it worked! In just the first 72 hours after the Holy Father's death, Catholic Exchange provided the broadcast media with as many as eight faithful Catholic commentators each hour during their unprecedented round-the-clock coverage!

Straight from the Heart

We want to do more and greater things for God and the Church. It would break our hearts to have to scale back or cancel any of our vibrant programs. We want to keep expanding and growing like we have during the past five amazing years! But by now you know what we need to continue our vital work.

Let me allow one of the country's most pro-life senators explain:

Catholic Exchange's proven and effective solidly Catholic programs have already touched the lives of millions. Catholic Exchange has been personally helpful to me and my efforts to lead with faith and integrity, and I know they help many others. They need your prayers and your support to continue their work. Please help their work in any way you can. — Senator Sam Brownback, Kansas

Could you pause for a moment now, and offer the most generous contribution you can to the soul-saving work of Catholic Exchange? It's as easy as clicking here to give online, or calling our toll-free number at 1-888-477-1982.

For a limited time only, we'd like to offer a special incentive for you to be as generous as you possibly can during this time of urgent need at CE — and grow in your understanding of the faith at the same time. Contributors of $125 or more will receive the volume you've been reading about but probably haven't seen yet: The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in the special edition from Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the official publisher of the Holy See. This powerful book distills the essential teachings from the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI's labor of love, into an easy-to-read-and-understand Baltimore Catechism-style question-and-answer format, complete with full-color reproductions of the most influential works of Catholic art. The Compendium is essential to any Catholic's bookshelf — and it's our special way of thanking you for your gift of $125 or more.

If a gift of $125 is too much for you to give at one time, we'd like to offer an alternative. We encourage monthly contributions, and anyone who signs up for a monthly gift of $25 or more will also receive a copy of the Compendium. It's easy to give monthly, with either a credit card or a Telecheck from your checking account, and we at Catholic Exchange will be grateful to know that we can rely on your continued support in the coming months.

Here's how to contribute quickly, easily, and securely:

  1. You can use your credit card right now to send your gift online on the secure Catholic Exchange website. Please click here.
  2. You can donate over the phone. Just call us toll-free at 1-888-477-1982.
  3. You can mail your gift to us at:
    Catholic Exchange
    P.O. Box 231820
    Encinitas, CA 92023

Whether you help us with a single, sacrificial gift at this time or a monthly pledge of support to sustain our ongoing apostolic work, you can be assured that your gift is going directly to bring people into the Catholic Church, and encourage and support the faith of Catholics all over the world. We receive regular updates from Catholics of the underground Church in China, and in Muslim lands, where the Faith is severely restricted, thanking us for the work we do to keep the light of Christ alive in their countries.. And here at home, where so many Catholics do not yet know the Faith in its fullness, we are striving to bring them to the joy of life in Christ's Church. Won't you help us today?

Sincerely in Christ,

Tom Allen
Editor & President
Catholic Exchange

P.S.: Please remember that Catholic Exchange cannot continue our unique and effective work without your support at this time. Any amount would help. Could you please click here and help us now?

P.P.S. We are ready to ship your copy of the highly praised, recently-released Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church just as soon as your sacrificial gift is received. Thank you for your love and support on the occasion of our fifth birthday!

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