This twelfth issue of Vulgata marks a radical change for St. Jerome Ministries.  Up until 2004, Vulgata was a small printed magazine with low circulation.  The only thing that kept us going was the tremendous support we received from our faithful core of readers.  We received your financial support, prayers and assurance that what we were doing was very much worthwhile.  You have our unqualified thanks and sincere wishes of God's blessing.  We also hope that you will enjoy our new online format and the new issue.

What has Changed

With regards to the content of the magazine: very little.  We are continuing to publish feature articles dealing with important religious and social issues in ways that are orthodox, original and accesible without being watered down.  You will also find that the fammiliar columns, such as St. Jerome's Believe-it-or-Not, the Quizes and Wisdom from the Pen of Jerome, are still here.

Regarding columns, the Web Site has seen the resurrection of some old columns and the advent of some new ones.  In the new issue, you will find the return of Melinda's Snodhopper and David's The Latest Thing, both of which will appear regularly from this point forward.  You will also find A Theological Conundrum, in which we ask you, our readers, to answer a convoluted question and Chris' excellent new project The Eight Evils, in which he will explore a different vice in each issue.

One of the things that has always been very important to us is the way the magazine looks.  We put a great deal of time into giving Vulgata its own unique aesthetic.  The Web has given us much greater flexibility regarding the look and feel of the magazine.  The possiblities are vast and we are only beginning to explore them.  We fully plan on continuing our practice of making each issue look better than the last.  So, we hope you enjoy the way the Web Site looks even more than you did the printed magazine.

The Advantages of the Web Site

One of the greatest things about the Web Site is the fact that all issues of the magazine are available in one place.  You can view the contents of each issue separately, or you can see an index of articles by author or title.  We have also included a keyword search function that will find all articles pertaining to a particular topic.  All of these options can be found on the main Vulgata page.

The Web also means that the magazine is available to everyone on the planet with an Internet connection.  The chance for small organizations to achieve mass circulation is one of the things the Internet is good for.

Beyond that, we now wish to let the the content of the Web Site speak for itself and to ask for your continued prayers.

In the words of St. Jude, "I appeal to you to fight hard for the faith which has been once and for all entrusted to the saints.  When there are some who have doubts, reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out."

Yours on this 16th day of February, 2004,
 

David Elliot
Neil Patterson
Chris Selmys
Melinda Slemys

-- The St. Jerome Ministries Staff