Saturday, December 31, 2016

And so, gang, for all 2016 has been – and everything the stories of these last 12 months have lined up for the road ahead – if there can just be one emblematic bit from this vantage, it's this: the deeply palpable moment in February when, after two years of angling to pull it off, the Pope arrived at the Mexico-US Border in Ciudad Juarez to pray... a scene intended as a "Lampedusa" call for his own continent.


Given Francis' subsequent punch-up on the plane home – and the according follow-up from the Stateside bench toward year's end – let this be a reminder of how, at the upper levels of this beat, nothing happens in a vacuum.

As for the full thrust of what that entails going forward, well, connect the dots.

And, of course, stay tuned.

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Per the Church's immemorial tradition, the last day of the civil calendar insists upon our great hymn of thanksgiving, the Te Deum, regardless of what transpired over the cycle now entering into the past.

Ergo, albeit in more singable form (lyrics), let us all give thanks for what's been, or just that the year's over – and whichever the case, seek the grace to make the next one better, beginning with each one of us:



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In that light, it's a blessing when your work owes itself to the goodness of a great crowd of witnesses – thanks to said grace, this scribe will see his Lord when He calls me home, instead of upon rendering how much clickbait I brought in last quarter.

Indeed, folks, navigating the straits of journalism these days (both doing it and funding it) is not easy. But beyond the need to keep the news clean, serious and honest, part of the job is making it look smooth... and 'round these parts, the degree any and all of this can be the case comes solely by means of your support.

As the back-end goes, the costs these pages incur remain a daunting weight – and on top of the standard pile, it's back on the road later in the week to see some history unfold, then even more later this month.

So, long story short, Whispers can pull it off only as much as you'll let it happen – as ever, the toughest part of all this is in this readership's hands....


All that said, hope you've had a joyous and brilliant Octave and all its graces keep going into the New Year...

...and as it's still Christmas, Church, don't forget to keep acting like it – Buon Natale e Buon Anno a tutti!

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