According to our plan, If we succeed in organizing a 24/7 international network of digital missionaries volunteers, backed by the following three major global and live world web portals (EWTN.global  EWTN.live  EWTN.world BTW a huge internet asset already secured), to be integrated with powerful apps, able to process digital audio and video person-to-person communications in just four major languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, we would then be able to "cover" the entire America continent, from Alaska to Patagonia. In addition to the above amazing possibility, with the same four languages, the continent of Africa (excepting Arabic speaking regions) and major portions of Europe,  the Middle East and many other countries such as India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, can also be covered. Let's keep in mind the epic warning and reminder from Father George Rutler: "None of His (Christ's) followers have had a better opportunity to spread His Gospel than we do in our generation. It is dreadful to think how much we squander that opportunity and use the media so inadequately." (Fr. G. Rutler).

 

 

Evidently, it is critically important to have EWTN 24/7 broadcasting to everywhere. However, we dream of having EWTN also capable of reaching out and/or listening from/to everywhere 24/7, person-to-person, helping everyone for free, as much as humanly possible; especially Catholics, to become better Catholics. As noted by Teresa Tomeo in her book "Beyond Sunday", we need to help the formation of 24/7 consistent Catholics, instead of partial or cafeteria "catholics" restricted to a couple of hours per week, maybe during Sunday Mass or prayer times. Not by accident conversation and conversion shares the same root-word. In addition, unhealthy solitude by fear and isolation are frequently interconnected with the scourge of suicide and depression, including in teenagers. "Loneliness is the first thing which God's eye named not good" (J.Milton). [See article **** at the "End-Notes"]. Also, the tragic decision to abort frequently comes from the abandonment and lack of friendship/mentorship felt by the pregnant mother. As another example, among many, the horrific cycle of violence ubiquitous in most Africa and Latin America countries can only be substantially broken IF victims of violence could receive deep listening services and long term mentorship alongside concrete referral support for jobs, education, etc. “To convert somebody", wrote St. Thomas Aquinas, "go and take them by the hand and guide them.” as saying, step by step,  entering into a long-term, respectful and sincerely caring relationship.

 

In the aftermath of this unprecedented sex abuse crisis, which will be overcome at any price, "one-to-many" Catholic communications (any broadcast means: TV, radio, newspaper, digi-medias,..) will need a serious increasing in non-brodcast, interactive, "one-to-one" personal communications. Long-term personal records and private digital-data management strategy is needed to support a more effective individualized venue for the New Evangelization Mission, adding new means of healing for the overcoming of this crisis. How are we going to foster the "Culture of [fraternal] Encounter" so heartfelt pleaded by our Pope Francis again and again?

 

The Project's Long Term Goals are radically related to Mother Angelica's New Evangelization Catholic Misson for EWTN, hoping that it will become another Catholic Institution at the service of Humanity. Here are some suggestions:

• 24/7 deep two-way communications with any person on the planet, aiming for a long-term personal relationship or at least followups.
• Long-term strategies for EWTN's financial health, major contingency plans, and revenue income alternatives.
• Major support with new hightech gates and venues for the EWTN Media Missionary Program, currently "managing" over 14,000 disconnected [therefore] powerless volunteers (yes! fourteen thousands, all over the wolrd), with no digital tools for pro-active telecomunications, personal participation, and inter-cooperation.
• Cybersecurity and Technology instrumentation to secure the EWTN's Mission under a long-term perspective and "what-if" hostile/persecution for future inevitable scenarios.

In conclusion, writing a good summary for a strategic project such as this is a serious challenge. If too detailed, it's no longer a summary, too short and it becomes difficult to visualize the whole. Therefore, a holistic analogy may be helpful as an initial vision-summary. Evoking the wonders of some of God's well known and beloved creatures, especially man's best friend (dogs), hereafter follows the Project general metaphor.  

 

C.S. Lewis said that "even if we do not see our dogs in heaven, heaven itself would contain the essence of dogness." (!) That would be -paraphrasing David Mills- a list of amazing human-like qualities and virtues: Loyalty, playfulness, simplicity, joy in friendship, courage, "think" well of others, quickness to "forgive", refusal to "judge", patience, etc. In other words, Jesus, our Divine Teacher and creator of the animal kingdom, can also use dogs to challenge us to love faithfully, to be more courageous, joyful, authentic, friendly, etc. By such we hope to provide additional, practical and poetical inspirations for future members and activities (volunteers, friends, employees, partners).

 

Since we pray and plan to find new ways to better interconnect grandparents and teens, in order to evangelize together, person-to-person, heart to heart, such metaphor should be fitting even to preteens, hence let's consider to compare our future "digital" missionaries as if little "Dogs" of Jesus, some protectors, some hunters, ... companion, entertainers, guide-dogs, tough sled-pullers, watchdogs, etc. In doing so, we would make up together a dependable network of faithful "Kennels" of the Father; serving with sincere love whether receiving pecuniary compensation, a partial one, or no compensation at a financial level, by combining forces with no longer only an authentic Catholic Television "brought to YOU by YOU" *, but also "fiercely ** protected for "WE by WE" (or "US by US": as a church, for The Church) as well.

 

And perhaps expand this or similar metaphor, as we hope to reach far and deep, by "land, air and sea" so-to-speak, we could also compare the future servants of this imminent Mission, since it must include grandparents and grandchildren, with five other amazing creatures, so beloved by all, covering together the "sea, the air and the land" if "they" remain united: Bees, dolphins, ants, pigeons, and beavers. 

Each member sometimes living like busy-"Bees", making "honey" for our brothers and sisters get hurt during this crisis. Most of the time as hard-worker "Ants," prudent agents of the Divine Providence for the whole community; also as knowledgeable, creative and competent "Beavers." Finally as powerful "happy-helpers" because of their inherent goodwill such as "Dolphins", always trying to bring and delivery more Good News, like "Carrier-Pigeons" of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

* =  As defined by Mother Angelica.

** = (Legal funds, watchdogs, cybersecurity, external auditors, preventive policies, ...) 

*** =  Loneliness worldwide epidemic video summary

***=  Death by Loneliness (By Francie Hart Broghammer) 

**** = Suicide and depression at any age can also be substantially prevented or minimized by the power of the Gospel/HolySpirit over voice/chat communications. Evidently, it needs to be detected/intercepted by caring volunteer media missionaries able to follow through as a team, during a long-term mentorship preventive relation based on personal evangelization. In particular, vulnerable/lonely children and teens desperately need such a supplementary pro-family educational-healing ministry.   

"According to a recent article by Dr. Edith Bacho-Sanchez, the number of children and teens in the United States who visited emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts doubled between 2007 and 2015, according to a new analysis.

Researchers used publicly available data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, administered by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every year. From the 300 emergency rooms sampled, the researchers tracked the number of children between 5 and 18 who received a diagnosis of suicidal ideation or suicide attempts each year.

Diagnoses of either condition increased from 580,000 in 2007 to 1.12 million in 2015, according to the study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The average age of a child at the time of evaluation was 13, and 43% of the visits were in children between 5 and 11. Suicides under age 13: One every 5 days.

"The numbers are very alarming," said Dr. Brett Burstein, the lead study author and a pediatric emergency room physician at Montreal Children's Hospital of McGill University Health Centre. "It also represents a larger percentage of all pediatric emergency department visits. Where suicidal behavior among the pediatric population was just 2% of all visits, that's now up to 3.5%."

Depression and a prior suicide attempt are the two biggest risk factors for suicide, and with rates of suicide on the rise, it makes sense for risk factors to increase as well, he explained.

The reason? It's complicated. One reason for the increase in depression and suicidal behaviors may be more stress and pressure on kids, Beresin said. "Kids are feeling more pressure to achieve, more pressure in school, and are more worried about making a living than in previous years," he said. Parents and caregivers are also more stressed, Beresin said, adding that rates of suicides have increased in all age groups over the past 20 years and that the stress is passed down to children and teens.

Burstein, who regularly sees children and teens in the emergency department with suicidal behaviors, worries that the rates will continue to increase. "We are seeing an acceleration of this issue, and I worry that we have not yet seen the peak," he said."

 

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