A Letter from the Director

Dear patron,

With hundreds of worthy causes you could support, I know we have to earn your respect and confidence. Hopefully, the value and success of our activities, programs and website should help us do just that. Please consider joining us by making a tax-deductible gift today.

The Catholic Information Center supplements and supports the work of local parishes. My predecessors here over the last fifty years have done an extraordinary job of creating a spiritual oasis in the heart of our nation's capital. Its three functions—sacramental attention through the sacrifice of the Holy Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation, as well as spiritual direction; a compact bookstore with a thoughtfully, very carefully chosen collection of titles (a visitor from the Southwest called it the best bookstore in the country), and a quality collection of devotional material and religious art; a forum for lectures and discussion groups, whose reach is well beyond the Beltway, via podcasts on our website—are all well served.

Currently, we are trying to rise to the challenge tendered recently by our Holy Father on the South Lawn of the White House at the Welcoming Ceremony, just a few blocks from the CIC: "As the nation faces the increasingly complex political and ethical issues of our time, I am confident that the American people will find in ther religious beliefs a precious source of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more humane and free society." He rephrased that challenge the following day in his Homily at Nationals' Stadium: "The challenges confronting us require a comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith. But they also call for cultivating a mindset, an intellectual 'culture,' which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith's vision to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society."

Your every visit to the CIC will help you appreciate what your support makes possible and the thousands of resources made available to you.

I want you to know what the CIC does, because the more you know, the more you'll understand how important and effective are the dollars you contribute to the CIC. If you click here, you can make your tax-deductible contribution today!

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Rev. Arne A. Panula

Director