The pope on mile-high throne --- made of solid gold!

"All day long the Pope sits on a mile high gold throne . . . and does nothing." It was just before John Paul II was elected, in that time when things were so loopy in the Church that we regularly heard claims like this, although not usually from CCD teachers --- claims so preposterous we could never have made them up. That evening, I told my daughter it was false, and suggested she not challenge her teacher about it. Folks that foolish are generally not easy to convince.

* In those days, clown masses were not uncommon. Yes, they were fun times! And Catholics drunk with the Spirit too easily stumbled and fell. A young friend told me that in his Washington-area seminary Bette Midler's Divine Miss M was the favorite album of the seminarians, most of whom spent afternoons lounging in the TV room watching soap operas.

Sober Catholics argued that priests formed in such seminaries could not long remain immune from the temptations of the flesh. (Recent scandals proved them right.) Anger and disappointment blinded many even to good things happening: in late 1979 when I suggested to a middle-aged friend that the newly-elected John Paul II would turn things around, her jaw tightened, she stepped suddenly forward, put her angry face close to mine, and hissed at me, "He's a Communist!" If you don't remember those days, be grateful. * But I was young, a recent convert, full of energy, determination, and hope --- just the kind of fellow I thought was being sought by John Paul to help him recover what could be recovered. I borrowed a thousand dollars and an old electric typewriter, bought a lamp and a beat-up desk, and in my tiny, dark basement set up Sophia Institute Press to bring back into print the venerable classics of our Faith which had, like so much else in our Church, been cast aside for Bette Midler and Bozo the Clown. That was 27 years and two-and-a-half million books ago: two-and-a-half million solid Catholic books that helped change the face of Catholicism in America. (Stacked one on another, they'd reach 28 miles higher than the Pope's solid gold throne!) Today, Sophia Institute Press is the world's preeminent advertiser of Catholic books on the internet, bringing the perennial truths of our Catholic faith to the attention of almost six million souls each week. Just a few months ago, one of our publications was the #1 Catholic book at Amazon.com: The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life, the book which prompted Thérèse of Lisieux's entrance into the convent. Now, all of this is at risk . . . . . . but not because of Bette Midler and Bozo the Clown: long ago, John Paul II banished them to the wings. Today our Faith must compete with other things that distract us from the salvation Christ won for us by His death: Mythbusters, YouTube, Facebook, American Idol, Xbox, Netflix, Twitter, Ipods, Ipads, and more. The same Sophia Institute Press I established to compete with Bozo and Bette now has to face off with billion-dollar entertainment goliaths manned by brilliant engineers and clever marketers. And yet we're only six ordinary souls who do everything it takes to discover, design, create, and market our Catholic books; to receive orders by email, snail mail, phone, and fax; pack the books, maintain the computers, pay the bills, change the lightbulbs, clean the toilet, and sweep the floors. It takes its toll, mentally, physically, and financially. And our wretched economy is not making anything easier: already this year, two other Catholic presses have shut their doors. I'm exhausted and my staff is stressed, worried about what the future will bring. We managed to pay the rent for this month, but our printer refuses to print any more of our books until we pay $30,000 in invoices that are due; and we're fending off other vendors. To conserve cash for water, electricity, phones, and next month's rent, I've placed on hold the printing of the following new books, almost all of which are typeset and ready to send to the printer. Without your help, these books will never reach the hands of Catholics hungry to know more about our Faith in this difficult world. Will you join us in this important apostolic work? Will you make a tax-deductible contribution of $50 to our work today so that I can keep our current books in print and send off to the printer the ones shown above? It only takes a minute. If you can't afford $50, can you send $25? Or even $10? Please help. Even if only by buying a book or two, for yourself or to give to friends and relatives who could benefit from them. Finally, whether you can contribute or not, please pray for me, for my faithful staff, and for our Church. For my part, and regardless of whether we receive the help we need, I will continue to remember you in my prayers. John Barger, Publisher Sophia Institute Press Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108 USA 1-603-641-9344