Announcing: Joy and Hope

We're sad to announce that Tim Huegerich, one of our contributing writers since May 4, has resigned. Tim has cited prior responsibilities with Catholics for Democracy and the National Catholic Student Coalition, in addition to the responsibilities he'll take on when he starts the Ph.D. program in late August. Of course, we understand that Tim has prior commitments and we wish him all the best. We also look forward to working with him and Catholics for Democracy in the future. God bless, Tim!

The second thing I'd like to announce is that the appearance, administrative structure, and content of Sollicitudo Rei Socialis will be changing on Monday, September 5. At that time, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis will receive a substantial makeover. We will take on a new name, Joy and Hope, in honor of the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes -- which literally means, "Joy and Hope." Joy and Hope will be a monthly periodical weblog seeking to joyfully proclaim progressive social and political principles from the perspective of Catholic social thought, especially as defined by the pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes and by the Holy Spirit speaking to us through tradition, scripture, and the sense of the faithful. Joy and Hope will be divided into three departments:

1. Politics & Culture: The Politics & Culture Department will handle stories dealing with current political issues and cultural phenomena, including primary responsibility for election coverage and coverage of the "culture wars." The Politics & Culture Department will be responsible for a minimum of three articles per edition, including an op-ed column by the Politics & Culture Editor, titled: "The Papist Pundit." The Politics & Culture Department will include an Editor, two Senior Correspondents, and an unspecified number of Correspondents.

2. International Affairs: The International Affairs Department will handle stories dealing with current issues of foreign policy and international news, including primary responsibility for coverage of armed conflict, international summits, and the United Nations. The International Affairs Department will be responsible for a minimum of three articles per edition, including an op-ed column by the International Affairs Editor, titled: "Around the World in 40 Days." The International Affairs Department will include an Editor, two Senior Correspondents, and an unspecified number of Correspondents.

3. Domestic Affairs: The Domestic Affairs Department will handle stories dealing with current issues of domestic policy and national news, including primary responsibility for coverage of economic, labor, health, and environmental issues. The Domestic Affairs Department will be responsible for a minimum of three articles per edition, including an op-ed column by the Domestic Affairs Editor, titled: "From the Heartland." The Domestic Affairs Department will include an Editor, two Senior Correspondents, and an unspecified number of Correspondents.

In addition to these nine articles from the three departments, three more articles will be facilitated by the Editor-in-Chief: an op-ed column on current events written by the Editor-in-Chief, titled: "A Lively Hope"; a feature column on current events written either by the Editor-in-Chief or another contributor, titled: "Flash Point"; and a column written from an ecumenical or interreligious perspective, titled: "Chew On This." These articles, combined with the articles by the three departments, will provide a total minimum of twelve quality articles per monthly edition of Joy and Hope.

Joy and Hope will also begin accepting contributions by outside writers who are not regular Correspondents. The theme for the first edition of Joy and Hope will be: "The Church in Today's World," reflecting on how the Church has contributed to progress in today's world and what's left to be done. The deadline for the first edition of Joy and Hope is Monday, August 29. Please send all articles to me at jheditor@gmail.com.

In the meantime, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis will remain as is and we will continue to post here until the new format is published on September 5. We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare to go down this new path, a path which is designed to provide more organized and better quality content to our readers. Thank you!

God Bless,
Nathan Nelson
JH Editor-in-Chief