Patheos Catholic’s 2015 in Review

This past year at Patheos Catholic has been a time of flux and transition, marked by the departure of the original editor of the channel, Elizabeth Scalia, who continues blogging for us at The Anchoress. On November 1st, Artur Rosman took over as the Channel Manager and I, Sam Rocha, am the new Channel Editor.

A steady stream of new bloggers has been rolling in as several beloved bloggers have transitioned to new blogs and jobs. Wish them all great success!

All in all, doing a review of such a year such is daunting if not impossible.

For a number of reasons, then, Artur and I have chosen a few more recent posts that feature some of our established bloggers and also some of the newer ones. They weave a tapestry of thoughts, prayers, and exhortations, also of divorces and new unions.

This list should give you a sense of the unique futurity of 2015, the sense in which all times of transition are packed with potentiality, leaning into what comes next.

Here are some of the things that stood out, in the form of a TOP10 list:

1. Jennifer Fitz at Sticking the Corners starts us off in a deep seasonal mode with “Holiday Despair and the Meaning of Christmas.” She reflects as in a glass, a little darkly:

It is a lonely season for those who’ve been passed over by wand of the giftmas fairy, those can frankly look around and notice that life is terrible.  The secular holidays are a celebration of all that is good in the world.  When the mandatory joyfulness exceeds the real levels of what’s actual worth celebrating, the disparity creates a gap.  Those who notice the gap aren’t unreasonable in reacting with sorrow.

2. One of our new bloggers, Keith Michael Estrada, extends this commentary at Proper Nomenclature in “Theft: Being Forced to Help the Poor” where he call us to “consider a few words from our tradition on relieving the poor from their misery, and how the poor have a right to this relief.”

3. Lisa Duffy, at A Million Unheard Souls, writes about another kind of relief, present in the hospitality of an invitation, in “You’ll Never Guess What’s Keeping Some Catholics Out Of The Church.” She offers her own heartfelt invitation, with a special focus on the divorced:

If you feel called to come home to the Catholic Church, your circumstances might make it might appear to be too difficult to make this leap. But if you’ve felt drawn to come back, even just a little bit, I believe it is the Holy Spirit calling you back. That means no matter what your circumstances, God has a plan.

4. Another new blogger, Sergio Bermudez, at the Cervantes-inspired Dialogue of the Dogs, writes about another forgotten person in “God Bless You, Florida Man”:

Florida Man exists simultaneously within our world and outside of it at the same time. He is the news stories that you read incredulously, having to check that the website is not a parody. It is those stories you snigger at and tell your friends about, as you all laugh incredulously that somebody exists like that. Despite being a constant source of amusement for many people, I do think Florida Man serves an interesting and almost vital role in our times.

5. At the new contemplative group blog, The Inner Room, Cassidy Hall calls these Florida Man times a “The Modern Day Desert.” She describes this desert as follows:

There’s a modern day desert that is not the desert of the past. A place in which we are so consumed with commitment and busyness that we lose touch with ourselves and the ancient rhythms of our lives. This desert of loneliness is perhaps one of the farthest things from the desert experience where we can truly get in touch with ourselves.

6. Another new voice, Leticia Adams, a self-described “hot mess Catholic,” puts more meat on the bones of this desert in her post, “The Truth Nobody Talks About,” at Through Broken Roses. This truth is “Anyone who says that cooperating with God to become holy isn’t hard . . . is a liar.”

7. Dr. Gregory Popcak, at Faith on the Couch, takes up the theme of divorce in relation to the increasing “nones” in “FAITHLESS: Why Don’t Millennials Believe?” He maintains, “there is no question that divorce places an unappreciated spiritual burden on children.”

8. Marc Barnes at Bad Catholic playfully suggests the need for a different kind of divorce in “Why ‘Getting Along’ Isn’t Working”:

The equal validity of every culture’ is racist. It masquerades as a universal axiom that every Arab, Eskimo, and Fijian could arrive at if only they would reflect, but it’s no more universal than cheeseburgers.

9. Fr. Dwight Longnecker at Standing on my Head tackles the blogosphere directly on the question of unity, in response to the Vatican animal light show in “St. Peter’s Magic Light Show.” Citing Scalia, he admonishes fanaticism and conspiracy theories, noting that “there are good reasons to be critical of the New Agey Climate Warming Sound and Light extravaganza, but a measured tone of criticism would be more credible rather than the scare mongering.”

10. And, last but not least, in “Texan Priest Gives Amazing Homily Against Hate,” Sr. Theresa Aletia Noble, at Pursued by Truth, shares the powerful message of Fr. Josh Whitfield, a priest who, like Fr. Longnecker, is an Anglican convert. Her post is timely since Fr. Whitfield’s homily is a response to the suggestion from a parishioner that he should say “Kill all Muslims” when offering communion. His response includes this profession of faith:

I’m a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ—not a liberal, not a conservative, not a Republican, not a Democrat. I am a Christian. And this will be a Christian place. Love, not hate. St. Rita will be a place of love—always. I’ll give my life for it.

These ten posts show a progression of thought that not only summarizes the year 2015, but also contains bits and pieces of Patheos Catholic channel past, present, and to come. As the new editor, it is an honor to find and support these voices who explore and profess the sometimes-dark wit that can pierce through the shiny spectacle of these times.

Jesus came at night and the Magi didn’t bring diapers and formula. There is something in this season of hope that frames and features an unspeakable mystery that seeks us, draws near, and desires to love us. Christ. May the Christ-child be present to you in this season and may he continue to bless the Patheos Catholic Channel yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

With Christmas Joy,

Sam Rocha
Editor, Patheos Catholic

2016 will feature the unveiling of a Spanish Patheos Catholic Channel. I would like to invite you to take a look at Father Pablo’s Labyrinthine Mind blog.