We Want You to Write for CatholicCulture.org!

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Nov 29, 2005

Some confusion has followed the recent announcement of our plans to develop materials which address Catholic enrichment and leisure-time activities. We intend to begin deploying these materials in the Spring of 2006 in an effort to broaden our Catholic range and make CatholicCulture.org more colorful and interesting to those who visit often. The goal is to provide inspiration and ideas for the formation of a thoroughly Catholic personal and family culture even during those times when we are not taking specific steps to evangelize, catechize or defend the Faith.

The confusion arises over how we plan to obtain these materials. We are not looking for links to other web sites (which, in any case, are covered in our Reviews section), and we are not looking for existing documents which teach about the formation of Catholic culture or the integration of spirituality and life in the abstract (which, in any case, are covered in our Library section). Rather, we are looking for the real experiences of users who enrich their Catholic spirituality and contribute to the formation of Catholic culture through concrete leisure time activities such as hospitality, travel, the arts and entertainment, hobbies and explorations of their Catholic heritage.

Instead of opening a forum for discussion of these aspects of the Christian life, we would like our users to write up their best experiences in these areas—along with suitable photos, diagrams, maps and other visual materials—to present them to others in an interesting way. These should be original magazine-style articles, generally ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 words. Eventually we hope to pay for submissions, but we're relying on high interest and a willingness to share to get the project started. Opportunities will be provided for public exchange of ideas on the materials we publish, so that those who can't write complete articles will still be able to share their thoughts. But right now we need to build up a collection of original articles to begin publishing online next Spring.

The categories are:

• Arts & Entertainment
• Food & Drink
• Places & Pilgrimages
• Hobbies & Crafts
• History & Culture
• Fiction & Humor

A few specific examples of what might be attempted were offered in my column announcing this new program: Being Catholic the Rest of the Time. To provide additional examples here, we would like to receive a concrete article on how you made beautiful needlework stockings for your grandchildren, an enjoyable craft project which helped crystallize the meaning of Christmas for them while providing meditative focus for yourself. But we don't want a theoretical treatise arguing that all recreation should have a religious purpose. Similarly, we would love an article detailing your visit to Saint Augustine, Florida (a Catholic settlement founded half a century before Jamestown and Plymouth Rock), but don't send us an abstract essay about the difference between a trip and a pilgrimage. The other sections of our site provide ample space for theological and philosophical treatments of more serious themes.

In essence, we'd like you to consider writing articles on your favorite activities, showing how they both express and enrich your life as a Catholic, so that we can all learn new ways to give glory to God. We look forward to receiving your submissions, which should be sent to [email protected].