A Testimony on Our First Birthday: Whatsoever He Shall Say to You, do Ye

On 21 September 2024, the very first article of Radical Fidelity appeared.

“His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye…” - John 2:5

Where Shall I Start?

It is hard to believe, but Radical Fidelity is one year old today. When I look back at how this little publication began, I can only bow my head in humility and awe. God has carried me further than I ever imagined possible.

Before I go any further, though, I must pause to express my gratitude—to you, the readers, subscribers, friends, supporters, fellow commentators, and even critics who have made this journey possible. I am so deeply thankful for each and every one of you: for your prayers, your encouragement, your interaction, and even for simply taking the time to read what I write.

This past year of writing and sharing has been one of the most satisfying and spiritually edifying undertakings of my life. From the bottom of my heart: thank you for staying, thank you for your fellowship, thank you for teaching me through your responses, and thank you for your faithfulness.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now, let me turn to the One to whom all gratitude ultimately belongs. What follows is not so much a polished essay as a testimony of God’s mercy, written in the hope that it may encourage and inspire you as much as it has humbled me.

A Little About Myself

I will not tell my full story here—that, God willing, I hope to share with you over the coming year if you are interested. But to understand what follows, a few details are necessary.

I am a 52-year-old adult convert to the Catholic faith. I did not simply drift into the Church from Protestantism (although I was raised Protestant) or another tradition. For most of my adult life, I lived in terrible spiritual darkness, enslaved to heroin and alcohol.

At my lowest point—broken, lost, and in a jail cell—I encountered Christ in a way that could only be described as a divine intervention. That encounter changed the course of my life.

I am also a journalist by trade, and God, in His mysterious way, has since joined together my two great loves: truth and faith.

A Call I Did Not Expect

A little more than a year ago, I was invited to give my testimony to the youth of a Novus Ordo parish. At that point, I already sensed that something was deeply wrong in the “mainstream” Church, but I was still attending the Novus Ordo liturgy.

I expected that once I shared my sordid past, the parishioners would quietly avoid me thereafter. But God had different plans. After my talk, a group of ladies approached me, asking whether I would consider becoming the parish’s youth facilitator.

The irony did not escape me. I have just told you about the depravity of my past, and now you want me to guide your children? I asked them for a week to pray about it, making clear that if I accepted, I would teach nothing but the Catholic faith in its fullness—no compromises with modernism.

That week, I prayed for clarity but felt none. Then, at Friday morning Mass, the Lord spoke to me through the Scriptures:

“And the Lord said to Paul in the night, by a vision: Do not fear, but speak; and hold not thy peace, because I am with thee…” (Acts 18:9–10).

Though I do not chase after signs, I knew this was meant for me. God has spoken to me before through Mass readings, and He was doing so again. I accepted the role.

Lessons from the Youth

What I found shocked me. Almost none of the young people—though nearly all cradle Catholics—were properly catechized. Their knowledge of the faith was shallow, and yet, like the hungry who are suddenly offered bread, many of them devoured the truths of the faith with eagerness and joy.

Some, however, resisted. I suspect they carried complaints to the heterodox priest, because soon there was tension, resistance, and eventually confrontation. In time, my loved ones and I were made to feel so unwelcome that we had no choice but to leave that parish. In retrospect, I thank God for it. (We consequently attend both the TLM, and due to circumstances also occasionally a Novus Ordo parish).

It was during those early months, however, that the woman I love asked me a question that pierced me to the heart:

“You are a journalist, and so passionate about the faith—why don’t you write about it?”

The suggestion was simple, yet so obvious that I could hardly believe I had not thought of it myself. I prayed over her words for three months before finally taking the plunge.

On 21 September 2024, the very first article of Radical Fidelity appeared. Twelve of the youth subscribed that day, along with my sister, my elderly mother, and the beloved owner of my heart who first suggested I write.

From a Small Beginning

Within six months, the parish storm reached its climax, and I stepped down from the youth group. In the aftermath, I often returned to the verse from Acts. Had I misunderstood God? Did He only mean for me to speak “for a season”?

Now, a year later, I see the answer clearly. Yesterday, one day short of our first anniversary, Radical Fidelity reached 1,800 subscribers. In the past three months alone, our articles have been viewed more than 100,000 times—far beyond the subscriber base.

In just twelve months, this small platform has grown into a community that now includes theologians, traditional religious, priests of both the Novus Ordo and the Traditional Latin Mass (including one of my personal heroes), well-known Catholic voices, at least one bishop, and most importantly, you—the faithful who keep the flame of truth alive.

The Point of It All

Looking back, I see what God was doing. When I could only imagine speaking to a small group of twenty young people, He was preparing me to reach many more across the world. That He would entrust such a task to a sinful, former heroin addict is a mystery of mercy that I will never fully understand.

But it is not about me. It is about Him.

We are here together, at this moment in history, not by chance but by divine providence. We are the remnant, entrusted with the treasure of the one, true Catholic faith. God has destined each of us for this time in salvation history.

So let us persevere. Let us defend Christ’s truth and His Church without compromise, without hesitation, without fear. Let us not yield a single inch. And let us pray—for the Church, for one another, and for the grace to remain faithful.

Thank you, once again, for journeying with me this past year. Please continue to pray for me, as I will for you.

Devotissime in Iesu et Maria

Your Fellow Pilgrim.

PS: Make sure to read the essay published yesterday, In Defense of Catholic Fundamentalism, as well as its two accompanying pieces On the Urgent Need for a Militant Catholicism and A Layman’s Guide to Catholic Counter-Revolution. These three pieces best explain Radical fidelity’s ethos.

NB: I want to reiterate that Radical Fidelity is completely free and will remain so. That being said, although it is a labor of love, it is a very time consuming one. We would like to grow it and branch off into other avenues and therefor appreciate any financial support.