What's next

Hey everybody,

We’re writing to tell you about something really great we’re about to do at The Pillar. We’re excited, and you should be too.

When we launched this project four years ago, we told you that it would be deep-dive news reporting, analysis, interviews, explainers. We told you that we’d report the facts, and leave you to draw the conclusions.

We’re committed to that kind of journalism. It’s the core of what we do. We do it because it matters to the renewal and reform of the Church, and no one else does it like our team does.

But the best thing to happen to The Pillar in the last few years is the community to emerge around it.

People are excited to tell us that they’re Pillar readers (in a good way), and we’re excited when they do.

And we’ve loved watching our comments become a forum for serious, substantive, meaningful conversation and debate engaged with (most of the time) actual Christian charity.

But those readers have told us they want more of that conversation. They’ve also said that in a world of serious issues unfolding — politically, culturally, and ecclesially — they’d like for The Pillar to host more voices with something to say about what’s happening, and what it means.

There is a lot going on right now, and the only way to get through it as Catholics is to have real and intelligent conversations about what all of it means. We don’t see that happening anywhere in Catholic media, and we bet you don’t either. We think it’s time to host those conversations.

So we’re launching a “Columns” section at The Pillar. We’ll run interesting ideas from the most interesting voices we know, with the aim of sparking interesting conversation among interesting readers.

The columns section will evolve, over time, just as the whole of The Pillar has. We’ll start with a few steps — and a few really interesting voices — and let it grow as Providence decides. But our “journalism project” has been evolving for a while into a “news magazine,” and a robust conversation is part of that.

Here’s what you need to know: We’ve always told you that our aim is to keep our news, analysis, interviews, and explainers free to read for everyone. We’ll keep to that.

But really good commentary isn’t cheap, and it’s definitely not free. And we’ve got to figure out a way to pay for it.

So our commentary section will be behind the paywall, as it were, for paying Pillar subscribers. And because the back half of The Pillar Posts have evolved into commentary too — on whaling, watches, balloons, and the Christian life, sometimes — that’ll sometimes be true for some portion of the weekly The Pillar Posts, too.

If you’re a paying subscriber, thank you, and nothing will change for you. You can read and listen to whatever you like.

If you’re not, now’s a good time to join, because The Pillar’s about to offer you more for that subscription. To make it easier, we’re offering a sale of 20% off your first year, right now.

This is a great sale

Plus, more subscribers means more good stuff. If you want smarter Catholic journalism — if you think the Church needs smarter Catholic journalism and you want to read it — you should help pay for it.

We charge about $2 a week, less with the sale.

Journalism ain't free

If you’re a religious, seminarian, missionary, or otherwise made poor for sake of the Gospel, don’t worry. We’ve always said we’ll cover your subscription, and we mean it. Email us here.

If you want to support those comped pious subscriptions, you can upgrade your subscription, or give The Pillar a gift.

upgrade your paid subscription

support those free subs

If you’re part of a group, like a workplace, a chancery, a parish, or a group of friends or buddies, we offer group subscriptions at a 25% discount. You only need two people to be a group:

Get you group discount here

If you’re a married couple and you both want to read, log in on as many devices as you like. Forward emails to each other. Read them aloud in the living room. We can’t add secondary email addresses to paid subscriptions —it’s logistically tricky — but you’ll figure it out. Or buy a group subscription.

Meanwhile, and here’s the important part, if you’re a smart and interesting writer with smart and interesting stuff to say, pitch us. We’ll give your stuff a read.

Enjoy the conversation, everybody.

and subscribe!

Yours in Christ,

Ed and JD