I’ve been receiving a few inquiries, not all of them as rude as the following (some have been even more rude):
Your blog has gotten incredibly boring lately. What happened to your commentary about things happening in the Church in the United States.
As of tonight, I will not be logging on to you anymore.
But I thought I should clarify for those of you who have not figured it out yet. As of June 18 of this year, my yearlong unemployment ended when I started working for the Archdiocese of Boston.
As an employee of the archdiocese it would be inappropriate for me to blog about any news or controversy having to do with my employer. That would be no different if I worked for a secular company. If I worked for Fidelity Investments, it would be imprudent of me to blog about that company’s appearances in the news.
In addition, it would be inappropriate for me to blog about other dioceses and other bishops for similar reasons.
Look at it from my point of view, or that of my employer: If I were to write something critical of the Bishop of East Iguana, it’s no longer just some blogger doing so, but an employee of the Archbishop of Boston. Those of you who’ve been around the blogs for a while may remember an employee of the USCCB getting himself into hot water by doing just that.
On top of that, I was a journalist who was often vocally opinionated about controversies within the Church, which adds another layer to the delicate situation I’m in.
I still have opinions about the news of the day and I wish I could share them with all of you and have the interesting discussions we used to have. I cannot. This is the kind of sacrifice you have to make when your first responsibility is providing for your family.
I know that most of you understand that and I am most grateful. Hopefully, you find my other musings on life and the world interesting and continue to read them.
Others are not so considerate. To them I offer this admonishment: Treat me with the dignity I am due as a human person and not as a mere object for your news and commentary gratification. If I no longer provide some “utility” to you, don’t act like a spoiled child and throw rude insults at me. Get some perspective and realize that on the other side of the screen is an individual with responsibilities and needs and hopes and dreams. It would be the Christian thing to do.
Thank you all for reading. I plan to continue posting here on my faith, family, sports, books, movies, technology, local news, and whatnot and if any of that interests you, stick around. If not, there are plenty of other Catholic blogs that will give you what you want.
I plan on continuing to read your blog for as long as you are updating it. Even if you aren’t covering “news,” your writing remains interesting and insightful. I’m sorry and embarrassed that there are actually people who would go out of their way to be rude to you over a change in content in your own blog. I’m just glad you are continuing to write with as busy as you are now.
How dare you! How utterly rude, callous and thoughtless!
You have the sheer unmitigated gall to place providing for your family, professional ethics and personal honor before entertaining the ravening masses who clamor for your commentary on the Church.
[/sarcasm]
Seriously though, I will continue to check in. Your wit and insight are interesting and enlightening to read. I applaud your ethic in this regard concerning your employer. A sense of honor such as yours is becoming a rarer commodity as time passes, it would seem. More’s the pity.
Well, I still like you too! And one does not “log on” to a website, unless it requires a password.
You have to earn an honorable living and feed your family. You owe no one an explanation. Like you’re supposed to dance for someone’s amusement.
Put up a picture of Maximus roaring “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?” and leave it at that.
Looked at from another angle, we readers can thank God that someone as sensitive and smart as you is working for the achdiocese. Much of the work in (arch)diocesan offices goes unseen and under-appreciated. Too bad, because the awareness of how many like you serve us in love can uplift all our spirits.
At every level, the curias and chanceries of our world need good workers, and, of course, it’s not the buildings / offices that need them; it’s the People of God who need you and more like you.
I’ll make this my new header:
http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1096836/photo_07.jpg
We’re still reading:)
Some people. I like the blog just as much as I did before—it’s different, but not in a bad way.
And even if I didn’t, you know what? It’s your life. And your blog.
Still reading here, too.
I like the new content as much as the old one.
Besides, Dom, you’re not alone: there are other Mass. Catholic bloggers who can tackle issues that wouldn’t be suitable for your site. We just need to pick up the slack!
*roll eyes*
Some people.
As for me, I like the blogging about your life as much or more than the political stuff.
Dom,
I’ve been visiting your blog for a few years. I do miss the old tone a little but have developed a real appreciation for the new tone and subject matter of your blog.
Bettnet was one of the first and one of the best of the no punches pulled defenders of the Catholic Faith blogspots. THANKS!
Dom,
I for one still enjoy your blog, and am very glad we have someone like you working in Brighton (or wherever the offices may be for the time being!)
God love you,
Father V.
I see on Facebook that you’ve had a slight job change already. What’s up?
I’ve changed positions from Manager of New Initiatives to Manager of Gift Processing and Donor Relations. The position has been open for a couple of months and it is much more necessary than a nebulous one like New Initiatives.
And being the team player that I am, I said I was willing to make the shift. Whatever I need to do to advance the mission of the Church in whatever small way that entails.
The new job will be more technology related. I will have responsibility for the integrity of the database for example, which also means that I’m going to have learn a lot more about Oracle databases. Fun!
Congrats, Dom! Sounds good for you (in terms of stability) and for the organization (they get an urgent need met).