For about six months we at The Catholic Post have been planning and refining our new “Delivering Unity Campaign,” introduced with this issue of the newspaper reaching every Catholic household in the Diocese of Peoria.

Well, the Blizzard of 2011 had its own way of uniting us first.

The winds Tuesday evening whipped deep mounds of white stuff on the streets and driveways of active Catholics and inactive Catholics, young parishioners and old parishioners, traditionalists and progressives, the wealthy and the needy, those sure in their faith and those with questions.
It focused charity on neighbors in need as we all struggled to dig out and plow through. The snow was ecumenical, canceling activities of all faiths.

It was humbling.

As this is written, we’re not sure which day this edition — dreamed of for months — will reach your home. We’re sending it to our printers on Wednesday evening as usual, but as of now there is no one there to run the presses.

So to all Catholics in the diocese — active or inactive, young or old, traditionalist or progressive, wealthy or needy, sure or questioning — we hope our pages are a reminder that you belong to a large, loving, and united spiritual family in the Diocese of Peoria. And we hope you welcome us back again by contributing to the campaign. — Thomas J. Dermody