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Take courage, I have conquered the world!Dear Friend, In any realistic assessment of the world in which we live—we have to admit it—the signs are distressing whether we are looking at our society or at our Church. Every indicator of Church vitality – sacramental participation, religious vocations, parish life – signals a tide that is receding fast, threatening the Church’s ability to stay viable and, consequently, to have any influence on our children and grandchildren. TREND LINES Consider three significant trend lines in the Church today.
In other words, the key metrics of Church vitality are all heading exponentially in the wrong direction. If the leadership of the Catholic Church were to take an honest and objective look at these disturbing trend lines facing our beloved Church, they would have to realize the long-term future of the Catholic Church in the west is far from secure. But despite all that: The word “defeat” is simply not in our vocabulary. For us at Catholic Action for Faith and Family, “defeat” is a foreign concept to our mission mentality. That is good in itself, but of course, we are just a Catholic organization. Above all, the Church that Christ founded—the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is immortal. While we know, historically, the Holy Spirit’s promise of divine protection and guidance “to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20) doesn’t apply to any individual community of faith, large or small, yet it is a promise to the Church as a whole… and we believe it with all our hearts. That is why we can look at all the challenges the Church is facing with realistic eyes and still repeat Mark’s Twain’s quip to all the doomsayers of his days: ‘Reports of [the Church’s] death have been greatly exaggerated’! COMMUNION OF SAINTS We have a good reason for that. We are members of the universal Church. It is universal in so many senses:
At Catholic Action, we are fully aware of this universal dimension of our work, that we are partners with the angels and saints in the work of fighting the good fight of the Church. The communion of saints is real, and it pays dividends for everyone humbly doing God’s Will and the Church’s work. On that matter, as we come to the end of our calendar year we want to thank all of our supporters for helping us to fight on the front lines of the Church, and we urge you to stay with us in good times and bad to help us to continue this fight. In fact, in the coming calendar year we intend to do everything in our power to take our mission to a new level—in and with the communion of saints—and that includes you! TAKING STOCK AND SETTING SITES ON GOING TO A NEW LEVEL In our recent annual report for 2023, we have detailed the successes of the year with a grateful heart for all that God has done in and through us. Now, we are setting our sites on the coming year and the many plans we have to take our mission to a new level. Above all, we are about the business of mounting a coordinated response to multiple battle fronts currently raging without and within the Church. OUR PRAYER FOUNDATION As our plan indicates, we intend to reach millions through our multi-media outreach and prayer campaigns because we know that while the correct messaging is always important, it is prayer that drives our mission. Realistically, we will be reaching for our million Prayer and Rosary Warriors on the horizon this year! Is that too ambitious? I don’t think so! In that, we have no better ally than our heroic Patron, Cardinal Burke, whose heroic fidelity to Holy Mother Church is reflected in his holy Masses at the first of every month. This forms the backbone of our prayer campaign together with his stalwart promotion of the holy Rosary. We will follow his lead! Strength has tremendous potential in numbers to compete for hearts and minds, but we are bent on galvanizing more than 70 million registered Catholics in the United States, and more around the world, to become more active in their faith. As we get set to embark on our most significant years ahead since our founding, your gift makes a difference in helping to uphold, defend and support the Catholic Faith and the Catholic Family. We ALL want to make the Church a more faith inspiring place for our youth. …because we know that the Church is the stronghold of society. If the Church is weak society falls apart. When the Catholic Church is spiritually strong, we are the “salt and light” of our world—as we are supposed to be. Catholic Action for Faith and Family has diligently battled on the front lines to spread the Hope and Light of Christ amid the darkness and confusion of our times and your prayers and generosity enable us to expand all aspects of our mission. As I conclude, let me thank you for your generous support for the mission of Catholic Action for Faith and Family! Please continue to support us and make a meaningful donation to our Annual Campaign according to your means. In an equally troubled time, the Prophet Jeremiah challenged the people of his troubled age to chart a way forward, and which may help us in any evaluation of the way forward for our Church: Thus says the Lord: Stand by the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old, “Which is the way to good?” and walk it; thus you will find rest for yourselves. (Jer 6:16) As we close out the year, I need your help to get ready to go to the next level. Once again, thank you for your ongoing support!
Your friend in Christ, Thomas J. McKenna Founder and President Catholic Action https://www.catholicaction.org/
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Catholic Action For Faith And Family · PO Box 910308, San
Diego, CA 92191-0308, United States
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