Can you help us reach more readers?
In January, 2020, the ACI website received a total of 18,107 page ‘hits’ – a 44% increase over the 12,529 pages visited in January 2019, and a 175% increase over the 6571 pages fetched in January 2018.
By far the most visited item now is ‘Prayer of the Faithful‘ page – (found under ‘Resources / Liturgy’ on the main menu). Updated weekly, the comments at the base of that page prove the extraordinary and growing global reach of this invaluable resource for Mass readers.
Also read widely are our feature articles and selected news reports. For example, ‘A Cosmic Spirituality for a New Theology; Teilhard de Chardin’s Evolutionary Journey to Omega Christ‘ by Aidan Hart is found, day by day, by those who search the web internationally for a succinct account of this seminal Catholic scientist, theologian and optimist.
Under ‘News‘ we are watching closely for the papal verdict on the request of bishops in Amazonia, Brazil, for the relaxing of the rule of mandatory celibacy for ordination – and the ongoing ‘Synodal’ discussions of clergy and laity in Germany. This is the German Catholic Church’s response to the very same catastrophe that first hit the Irish Church in 1994 – clerical abuse and hierarchical mismanagement – resulting in mass alienation of parents and young people.
Of special importance for members, under ‘Ongoing‘ can be found the ACI Steering Groups’s current focus and ongoing campaign for the immediate implementation of Vatican II intentions for lay co-responsibility, by the Irish Conference of Bishops. The upcoming meeting of that body, March 9th-11th, 2020, will be for ACI an important test of the impact of efforts made 2018-19 by our Steering Group to convince the ICBC of the urgency of ending the clericalist and male monopoly of unaccountable power in the Irish church, the central obstacle to renewal and reform.
However, our website as it stands was designed before the mobile phone became the favoured device for most of those who now access the World Wide Web. On smaller screens held in just one hand, our pages no longer display as they should – with text easily readable.
So the site needs a ‘facelift’ to correct these disadvantages and boost growth even further – to continue its growth in access and impact.
To accomplish this we need a total of just €750 – too big a stretch just now for a budget that needs to cover, for example the annual charge for hosting the site.
So, can you help us reach this total – especially if, so far, you have delayed sending your annual subscription?
If you can help ACI in this cause, there are three ways of doing:
- A simple donation. (Click the Donate Button on the Homepage, or click here.)
- Add a donation to your membership subscription; via ‘My Account Page’ on the Home Page, or click here‘
- Send cheque or cash via the postal system to: The Association of Catholics in Ireland, c/o 41 Woodcliffe Village, Howth, Co Dublin
As access to the site continues to build, so does the relentless pressure for change that must come in our Irish Church – change that you have already shown you want to see. A small one-off donation for this specific cause could make all the difference.