Rorate Cæli 10-year anniversary: your thoughts

Today marks the 10-year anniversary of Rorate Cæli, founded on Rorate Sunday, 2005. 

Thank you to all our readers for your loyalty and support. As mostly anonymous bloggers, we do this out of love of our Lord, His Church, and you -- not for fame, and certainly not for money, as we have never accepted a dime.

We promised no hoopla and no big splash today. When you think about the almost unfathomable notion that the Church is in worse shape today than it was 10 years ago when we started there's no real reason for us to celebrate. We have failed Christ and His Bride and have much work to do before we break out the champagne. God willing, we'll be alive to pop those corks.

What we did do in preparation for today was to ask you, our dear readers, to share your thoughts on what this blog means to you. We were overwhelmed with the response, both in volume, and in content. Lives changed, families saved and vocations berthed. 

We cannot post all the emails we received, but here is a sampling. Thanks to all of you who wrote in. Even if you don't see yours here, it warmed our hearts, and we appreciate it.

Rorate reader responses:

I would  like you to know that it was on your website back in 2012 that we discovered the FSSP Mission trips. Our daughter X went with the good FSSP priests in 2012 (Dominican Republic) and 2013 (Peru). 

The following year, she announced her desire to become a nun. After a spiritual retreat to aid discernment, she discovered the Dominican Sisters of Wanganui: http://www.dominicansisterswanganui.blogspot.com 

X is currently a postulant with the Dominicans at Rosary Convent in Australia and finishing up her teaching certificate. She will be entering as a novice this January.

Thank you for posting the FSSP mission trips on your site! As her mother, I can clearly see that Rorate was an instrument for God's calling. 

Please keep X in your prayers.

In Christ and His Blessed Mother

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Rorate's Caeli's 10-year anniversary: Tell us your story

Reposting once more, with some of your responses being posted this upcoming Rorate Sunday:

On the fourth Sunday of Advent, this blog will celebrate its 10th anniversary since its beginning, by our prolific, gifted and pious founder, New Catholic. It has been an amazing 10 years with Rorate Caeli now the most-read international traditional Catholic blog in the world.

Before becoming a contributor -- one of the greatest blessings, and spiritual burdens, of my life -- I was once a reader and admirer. I would email, along with news tips, my appreciation to NC. 

Rorate spiritually woke me up, in a good way. It was slavishly traditional, yet never knee-jerk. It was well researched and thought through: the kind of blog that lifted the veil from your eyes but didn't cause you to go to an untenable extreme. 

It was, without any exaggeration, a great spiritual gift to me, dropped down from Heaven. 

Over the years many of you, whether laymen, priests, religious, bishops or even princes of the Church, have conveyed your appreciation to us. And we can say doubly back to you how much we not only appreciate, but need, your words of encouragement. 

We make no money for running this blog yet, at times, it's almost like having a second full-time job. And even though we try our best, the criticisms come from all angles, from all levels, like a constant barrage. At times, when we've been at our lowest, that one email coming in telling us how much we've meant to a reader is enough to pick us back up, dust us off and get us back to work doing our small part to bring about the restoration of the traditional Latin Mass and Faith. 

Your words of encouragement -- and the graces of God bestowed on us by Our Lady -- sustain us. 

This Rorate Sunday, we will not have any hoopla, no big splash. But we will commemorate the day. 

Please send us your brief thoughts on what Rorate Caeli has meant to you. This shouldn't be long and don't worry about getting it perfect. Just send us your thoughts and we will do our best to compile them all and publish them without names attached (unless you specifically ask us to). 

You may send your thoughts to athanasiuscatholic AT yahoo . com 

A very heartfelt thank you to all of our dear readers for 10 years of loyalty and encouragement. May God grant us all another 10 years to fight for tradition and work out our salvation.