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Dear Reader,
This is the email in which I would normally brag to you about all the important work NCR has done recently from Rome, and then ask you (read, beg you) to chip in a few bucks to support our work with a donation during our once yearly Spring Fund Drive.
But these are not normal times. As I write, my wife and I are on our 42nd day of living through Italy's country-wide lockdown, unable to leave our apartment except to get groceries or go to the pharmacy.
And I know that many of you are undergoing similar hardships, perhaps unable to see dear family members or friends due to isolation measures, or thinking of people you know who are vulnerable or already suffering the worse in this crisis.
For us here in Rome, I've noticed that it's the "small" things that get us through each day. The routine of a nice cup of tea in the morning with breakfast. Or listening to a favorite artist in the early evening and making his favorite cocktail to end the workday. (The late John Prine and a vodka and ginger ale. I promise, it's better than it sounds!)
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NCR Vatican Correspondent/International News Editor Joshua McElwee.
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Perhaps for some of you, NCR is one of those "small" things. Maybe it's a thoughtful movie or television review from Sr. Rose Pacatte, or Sr. Joan Chittister providing some principles for pandemic living.
Maybe you found our three-part "Church after coronavirus" series helpful in thinking through how our church's response to this crisis may fundamentally change us for years to come. Or maybe you appreciated seeing some theologians discuss the future of confession and whether social distancing efforts might someday result in absolution by Zoom.
Yes, these are not normal times. And we at NCR are doing our best to both cover the extraordinary news of these times and provide solace, comfort and the "small" things, as best we can.
So, here comes the pitch (you knew I'd get back to that, right?). All of this requires a good deal of human and financial resources. And our budget is as stretched now as it's ever been.
Would you consider supporting us with a donation during this Spring Fund Drive? Whatever you can afford -- no amount is too small -- would be greatly appreciated and well used.
With gratitude and a lyric from Prine's 'Fish and Whistle' in mind: "When we get through, we'll make a big wish/ That we never have to do this again."
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Thanks for the consideration and support,
Joshua McElwee
Vatican Correspondent/International News Editor
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During the Spring Fund Drive, we ask everyone who receives NCR news emails for support. If you've already contributed, thank you! If you prefer to not receive emails from NCR, please unsubscribe using the link below.
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