Hi all! So, a brief update about the magazine: it’s slightly delayed. I’d originally hoped that I could get it launched by now, but one of the authors whose perspective I really want to feature in the magazine had to back out at the last minute. So now I’m sort of scrambling to find a good replacement.
Here’s why I’m sort of in a jam: as I’ve mentioned before, I want the magazine to function as a forum of sorts for people to come together and to encounter contemporary issues, people, and ideas from a Catholic perspective. Right now, the first issue is good. I want it to be better. The first issue has a fantastic set of features, including a feature of a Catholic young adult who works in a non-profit to raise awareness about the evil of abortion and engages with pro-choice people, which is a very good and admirable thing to do. We also have an article written by the guy who designed the altar used by Pope Francis himself during his 2015 trip to the USA, and we will feature a reflection from a young adult who was working in a parish when COVID turned everything on its head. (There are also a few other topics featured, but you’ll have to buy the magazine to see what they are!)
So far we have a good variety of topics which I think make for good reading, but I also want to include timely and topical articles on social justice, because the Church has an impressive and cohesive set of social teachings. And since yesterday marked one year since George Floyd’s death sparked a national conversation on racial justice, I want to make sure that the magazine features relevant voices on related topics in a way which adds to that conversation. The writer who had to back out for the first issue (but should be able to write for the second issue) is the pastor of the only African-American basilica in the United States, and his perspective is invaluable and will add a lot to the magazine when he can write for it.
Anyway, long story short (or, TL;DR, for you nerds out there): I’m working to find a suitable voice about the Church’s social teachings, and so the magazine will be delayed a bit until I can find someone to write about that. I have some people in mind to ask about contributing their perspectives on the Church’s role in promoting justice, and I think that you’ll be very interested in what they have to say.