Our Beginnings

A constant message from Pope Francis is to go forth and evangelize. Taking this to heart, Melinda Kusch and Dan Johnson produced an image with the help of graphic designer Mark Lawrence for those who wish to walk this talk. Their “The Word is Catholic” logo shows many of the symbols of the Catholic faith including the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama. These simple and attractive symbols combine to create the word “Catholic.”

The hope is that this CATHOLIC logo will inspire interest from non-Catholics as well as fortifying those already in the faith by their testimony. As Pope Francis says keeping our faith to ourselves is selfish and counter-productive to our goals of unity and salvation. We must reach out to those who do not understand Catholicism and seek to evangelize. Sometimes the most difficult part of evangelization is how to start the dialog. This simple and beautiful design has already helped initiate these discussions throughout the Archdiocese of Mobile and beyond.

Our Mission

We hope that this website and its message will reach three groups of people: non-Catholics with open minds, Catholics who have moved away from their faith, and Catholics who have become too relaxed in their faith. We also want to reach Catholics who wish to expand the message of the Catholic faith to those groups. With these groups in mind, the mission of this site is to:

• Use the beauty of Catholicism and Catholic traditions to inspire conversion to, re-aquaintance with, and increased vigilance in the Catholic faith,

• Introduce and refresh basic concepts of Catholic teaching,

• Inspire further pursuit of study of the doctrine and traditions of Catholicism, and

• Motivate evangelism by the faithful and faith-filled!

We hope to shine a light for those who find it difficult to get answers on their faith journey, by providing sources to start their investigation, as well as giving current Catholics a way to proclaim their love for their faith. Questions and answers come through dialogue. Don't be afraid of building a bridge, dismantling a wall, or opening a door. You never know what's on the other side. At the same time, be sure to listen. God's calling all of us, but we don't always hear him.

Special Thanks to Our Contributors

Graphic Design: Mark Lawrence worked with Melinda Kusch and Dan Johnson to produce the original design of The Word is Catholic logo. Laura Waag of Sidedoor Studio has worked with Melinda to further enhance the logo and prepare other graphics for the new website. We would like to thank both designers for their work in fulfilling our vision.

Photography: The pictures used in this website have come from websites sponsored by the Creative Commons, photos submitted by individual contributors, and Marcy Dugan Photography. Visual evidence of Catholicism at work is important to authentically relay the message of The Word is Catholic. We would like to thank all contributors for helping with this project.

Content: The content of this website has been a collaborative effort by many Catholics ready to share their faith. In particular, we would like to thank Maureen Brown for her hours of proofreading and editing, skills that she perfected from her years of technical writing. We would also like to thank Rev. Stephen Hellman, Pastor of the Annunciation Parish of Monroeville, Alabama and Alexander Crow, a seminarian attending St. Meinrad Seminary and School for Theology in Indiana for their time spent reviewing the theological content. Finally, a special thanks to Caroline McDonald of St. Ignatius Catholic School for early contributions to the website content that gave us the foundation to pursue this endeavor.