Update

My dear friends and fellows who have been wondering where on earth I've been, I am back from a very long hiatus. I apologize. You see, in May, I realized that the things I was typing were largely stemming from my need to talk, to be heard, and to seem important. Often, my entries were just venting on some issue or another. I'm a fan of silence, a virtue I rarely have the chance to practice, and so I thought I should just silence myself for a while. As a result, I've had a lot more time to finish various work, so here's an update:

1. The first thing I did this summer was update the St. Jude website. Actually, the work was done by Adam Janke at Catechetics Online, an affordable option for those wanting a new parish website. However, I've been put in charge of its upkeep and therefore I've learned quite a bit of programming, so if there are any needs for parish websites in the area, send me a message. St. Jude's new website can be seen here.

2. The second thing I did this summer was begin work on a new catechetical series for youth ministry. I have found that there are few decent, orthodox Catholic Bible studies for teens. Therefore, I would like to introduce the Discovery Series. These studies are free for download, print, and distribution online. They are in beta mode at the moment, so expect updates. Also, these are only two of the first studies. There will be additional studies as time goes on.

3. Our youth group grew to an astonishing 35 regular youth over the summer through the various programs we've offered.

4. I've been interviewed by two different magazines over the summer, one being Franciscan Way Magazine, where I made a cameo appearance in an article on the catechetical alumni of Franciscan University of Steubenville, the other being the Catholic Connection, the magazine of the Diocese of Shreveport, but I won't share that topic because it's still in the planning stages. You'll just have to wait until the article is published. In either case, I was shocked to be asked for an interview by either publication; when I think of successful catechists, I don't think of myself and I know I shouldn't, because what I've done is nothing compared to the work others have been doing in my field.

5. I'll be buying a new laptop next week (my last one died on me, which is partly responsible for the length of my little vacation from posting), so I hope to resume my writing here. I hope that I can be helpful for the formation of the little corner of the blogosphere that belongs to the Diocese of Shreveport.

And now, on a lovely pro-life note, my wife is 34 weeks pregnant (still struggling with morning sickness), and we've had the unusual pleasure of getting quite a few sonograms, so without further ado, baby Murphy in 3D (and you don't need any of those tacky glasses, either!):



His Servant and Yours,

Micah Murphy