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You probably know this parody of a blogger's award (whereupon the word "winner!" is altered to read as "loser!") accompanying the Facebook posts of Mark Shea, a noted Catholic author, lecturer, and Mac Daddy of the Catholic blogosphere. What you don't know, is that this alteration is the work of yours truly.Must have slipped his mind between whirlwind book tours. Or ... maybe he's trying to tell us something.
Let's face it, everybody picks on Mark, especially the "evil traditionalists" (not to be confused with the "warm and fuzzy traditionalists") who periodically chastise him because he's not totally in the tank for the Trid Mass. Then there are the people who resent him because of his success, as a blogger and "professional Catholic," as the voice of a new or middle-aged generation, or as a convert who has the jump on bragging rights over "cradle Catholics." Or something. [UPDATE: we would be remiss not to mention the neo-cons, who castigate Mark for his position on torture, which is identical to more than one Pope in recent history, but which betrays him as not equating orthodoxy with voting Republican. Huh???] But even though he's big enough to neutralize the average über-trad just by sitting on them, Mark is about as harmless and down-to-earth a fellow as any you'd meet who has people asking for his autograph. (He also tells really great jokes that are totally potty-mouth free.)
So, we ask ourselves, “Quid retibuam [Mark Shea] pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?” The answer to that question is here. Now you, too, can show Mark some love -- yes, even guys famous enough to write for Patheos need it -- and be a member of his official Fan Club. (You didn't know Mark had one? That must have slipped his mind too.) Simply right-click on the image here, and paste it on your own weblog or webpage.As for you, Mark, old buddy ... you're welcome.
(Comments are closed here, but are open at Facebook.)
