Saying goodbye to anything we love is difficult, painful and causes grief. Life, though, is like that. It's one long series of encounters and goodbyes. After 13 years, this is my Register "goodbye."
I entered Catholic journalism after writing for the secular world. A friend told me, "Getting into Catholic journalism is more difficult than getting into Hollywood." It was.
It was a comment by a priest to this then-newly-minted Catholic that inspired me to pursue writing about the sacred. He made me think about writing in a completely new way.
"Catholic writing is like missionary work," he said. "You may never get to travel to distant places, but you never know who might pick up your work and the effect it might have on a soul."
That was enough for me.
After my conversion to the Catholic Church in 1995, it seemed that Christ and his Church were the only things truly worth writing about.
A simple email to the editor at the National Catholic Register began my career.
"I have a quiver full of story ideas," I told him.
He took a chance, and, for the next decade-plus, I carried on as the newspaper went through circulation highs and lows and highs again, first under the ownership of the Legionaries of Christ and most recently under EWTN.
In many ways, the position was a dream job. For most of my years, I truly loved my work. I was fortunate to meet and interview so many everyday Catholics in the pews, as well as prominent Catholic leaders, religious, politicians and celebrities. I was able to travel to cover World Youth Day in Toronto and Cologne and Sydney. I was able to cover Pope Benedict's trip to Washington and New York and visit Rome.
I've survived through the transition to digital platforms, witnessed story lengths dwindle from 2,000 words to 800 words per story and participated in the transformation that blogging has brought to journalism.
Yet, the best part of it all was the opportunity to continue learning and writing stories.
For someone who is a writer at heart, there is nothing better than having a good story come to fruition. All stories hearken back to the pre-eminent story, the story of God becoming man, dying for each one of us and rising again. They don't get much better than that.
And each and every day, I was able to learn something new.
So many things run through my mind as I write my last Register blog post.
Some years ago, I gave a talk to the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic studies students on vocation. From my earliest years, I knew that my vocation was one of writing. Yet, for the hundreds of stories I’ve written, I told the students that my very best stories are ones they would never “read.” They are the unique, unrepeatable individuals who are my children, each a creation made in co-partnership between God, my wife and me. What story can ever compare to each one of them?
In addition to grief, I am filled with gratitude. Thank you, dear readers, for sharing the past 13 years with me. I am thankful for you, for your readership, your letters and comments, your criticism and your support, thoughts and prayers. My last day with the National Catholic Register/EWTN is Tuesday, Jan. 22. It is heartening that the great mission of Catholic journalism at the Register will continue, especially under the strong leadership of EWTN.
Still, there's grief. I didn't expect it to be so strong.
Looking back over my years of Register writing, if there has been a consistency, it has been my longing to be a voice for those who have none: the unborn. Threatened myself by abortion in the womb, I realize how narrowly I escaped the same fate that millions of my peers have not. So, when there's been an opportunity to speak or write on their behalf, I have. My own life is a testament to the potential in any life threatened by abortion. One life touches so many others, making so very true the quote made famous by Schindler's List: "If you have saved one life, you have saved the world entire." I've always seen this as my calling, my mission and my purpose in life. If I'm allowed even an iota of pride in my written work, it is that writing of which I am most proud.
Jan. 22, and the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, is an awful anniversary, for it represents a death in the family — more than 40 million deaths to be specific.
My grief has caused me to reflect on the national grief that we share on what will be my last day with the Register. 40 years ago on that day, our country turned its back on women and their unborn children. The price we have paid has been horrendous and staggering, both numerically and spiritually.
An unelected court gave women the legal right to destroy the children within their wombs. We grieve the loss of so many sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, aunts and uncles, cousins, spouses, classmates and co-workers whom we never got to know this side of heaven. It's a loss we cannot even begin to comprehend.
My departure from the Register feels very much like a death in the family.
As I move on, I would ask that you offer a prayer for all mothers who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy, perhaps utilizing Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's powerful prayer: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to save the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted and is in danger of abortion."
And please pray for me and my family as we transition to "new life." This is not the place to announce my new position; my new employer will do that in time. Suffice it to say that I have been enriched by the opportunities the Register has provided me, and I hope to continue to apply the many invaluable lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Goodbye, dear and faithful reader.
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Thank you for your service to the Church!
You will be greatly missed, Tim! You leave a great organization. I agree: The story of the operation of Christ’s grace in the world—the story of the Church—is the story that matters most in the world. And you tell it as well as anybody. You have an uncanny way of getting to the nub of a person or an issue. I think it’s your kindness, honesty and class that draws more out of your interview subjects than I could ever manage.
Tim, This is beautiful. And a loss for those of us who look forward to your stories. I hope you’ll still be writing wherever you land.
Leslie Palma
Tim, your writing for the Register will be dearly missed.
You were the first reporter to ever cover 40 Days for Life—with your story in the Register way back in 2007. More than five years later, and I still have people telling me that your initial article was what prompted them to first get involved in local 40 Days for Life campaigns.
Tim, thanks for living out your faith in such a profound and impactful way.
I love and appreciate you, and look forward to seeing what God has in store for the next chapter in your life!
You Brother in Christ,
David Bereit
National Director
40 Days for Life
Tim, I’ve been so grateful for all your years of service. Thank you for your integrity and moxie and getting the great stories out.
Tim,
It was an honor to read and edit your stories and work with you while I was at the Register. It really is a saying goodbye—I don’t think anyone is left now who was there 10 years ago, is there? God bless you in your new position… you will be missed!
Tina Dennelly
Anytime you can find a job that becomes a ministry, you have much to be grateful for. May your talents continue to bear fruit wherever you go!
Tim,
We have known each other since shortly after your conversion. You, Mary, and your family are dear to me. We shared His Eucharistic Presence many, many times in St. Anthony’s Chapel. Also, close to you as we shared picketing at the local Planned Parenthood office for years, and you taught your children by bringing them along as witnesses for life. Our appreciation for the work of Fr. Paul Marx and for each others’ prolife writing perhaps brings us closest together. Thank you for your personal and journalistic contributions to the cause and your outstanding Catholic presence through the Register.
It was a great privilege to work with you and learn from you, Tim! Godspeed!
Beautifully written Tim. It is no coincidence that your last day is January 22nd almost a sign, a reminder to keep up the work you do for the unborn. God bless you and your family, you are an inspiration to all.
Oh please tell us that you will continue to live in St.Joseph, MN.
I was hoping to more there and be your neighbor next year!
Tim,
Blessings on your new venture. Thanks so much for all the coverage you’ve given to Priests for Life and our prolife projects.
We look forward to hearing about your future plans.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director
Tim,
While I’m sorry to see you leave the Register, I know that wherever you go, you will be a great asset to your employer. You have the integrity, smarts and chutzpa it takes to be a great writer and you use them all. Thanks be to God for your abilities and the fact that you employ them so well.
Tom
Tim: You will be missed but wherever you go you will be a big success. Anxious to hear about your new position and hope we keep in touch. God bless you and your family.
I am deeply touched by the responses. Thank you, one and all. Each of us wants to know that we have made a difference… that we have somehow made the world a better place. Your kind words help me to realize that the work of these past 13 years has touched others. For that, I am grateful.
Tim: It was such a privilege to work with you at the Register. I look forward to seeing what God has planned for you next! Please count on my prayers.
Tim, I’ve come to rely on the National Catholic Register for solid, well crafted and informative articles. Under your responsible leadership, and with your clear writing based on clear thinking, the Catholic story has been well told. You will be missed, but I expect we’ll see you defending the Faith in a new realm soon. Best wishes.
Tim:
You have been an inspiration to me—a fellow Minnesota Catholic writer. You have been a great asset to the National Catholic Register and I hope that wherever your path leads you next, you will find great joy and peace, knowing that you are right where you are supposed to be. May God bless you and your family. BTW, St. Joseph, MN, is a great place to live. You can smell the fresh air and hear the birds. Best wishes.
Tim - Many prayers and blessings on your new journey and exciting new chapter of this adventure. It’s been a pleasure working with you and learning from your writing here at the Register.
God bless you and your family.
Tim,
I wish you all the best in your new endeavor. God be with you.
Matt C. Abbott
Just an average reader here (and decades-long subscriber)—but I’ve long felt your voice to be one of the best.
If you had shared before that your own life had been in jeopardy in the womb, I missed it. Life is GOOD!
All the best in your new endeavor.
Dear Tim,
I’m sorry to read of your leaving the National Catholic Register. Your writing always speaks from the heart and is a blessing to readers. I did not know of your “close-call” birth. As an adopted kid (at 9 months) I share your zeal and gratitude for the Gift of Life. It explains your own “quest for Truth!”
Thank you for your kindness toward me and for the interview you did highlighting the work of PROLIFE Across AMERICA. Your compassion, gentleness and insight will truly be missed by this reader!! God bless you and your beautiful family. Whatever you do, I know you will be shedding Light.
Yours in Christ and Life,
Mary Ann Kuharski
Tim: A thing of Beauty, your farewell, Thank you. My prayers for your well being and that of your family, Gonzalo T. Palacios, Ph.D., Philosophy, Prince George’s Community College, MD.
Tim,
.
I have been reading your articles online for many years, and I have always found them to be informative, well-written, and helpful. You have helped me learn about my faith and about significant events in the church and around the world. Thank you for your dedication to excellent Catholic reporting!
Catholics have a lot to thank Mr Drake for all his insightful commenting and true journalistic reporting over these years. When I think of all the work that he has done, the article that I most remember is one that was not at all typical but absolutely necessary. It was November of 2010 and the American bishops seemed sure to advance the vice president of the US Conference Gerald Kicanas to be their next president. An article by Tim Drake recounted the horrific case of Chicago priest Fr Dan McCormack ( jailed 2007 for abuse of teenage males) and the public record of Bishop Kicanas who had been the rector of the seminary which allowed McCormak’s ordination(1994) despite serious homosexual activity on his part in the seminary. Kicanas responded to Drake’s article and some very tough questions by Drake a few days later. The bishop’s answers were duplicitous and damning. His fellow bishops had clearly seen enough and in an unprecedented move did not advance him to the Presidency but elected Archbishop Tim Dolan in his stead. The election was supposed to be a slam dunk for the continuing Chicago dominance of the national conference. The meeting was supposed to be a sleeper. The Drake intervention—and it was purely by reporting and asking questions—- has cost Mr Drake some of his hard won long cultivated reputation as “the journalist everybody liked”.
The ongoing reform of the Catholic priesthood and our institutions is still a work in progress. That article and the election of now Cardinal Dolan by his fellow bishops was a huge turning point. Surely it was the Spirit who did His work that day, but the pen played its role in the week before. May God bless Mr. Drake.
Tim,
I see that the apostolic bug has bit you again. I remember when you were grinding away in those secular jobs, and seeking with steadfast determination, a place where you could bring your love of Christ and the Church to others. I’m very happy for your new opportunity and was always proud of your work at NCR, proud because I know as a friend and know the efforts you went through to learn your craft and to be a faithful servant. God Bless you and your family as you embark on your new chapter!
Tom McGreal
Tim—
You are among my most treasured colleagues and friends. You always seem to strike that rare intersect of integrity, loyalty, patience, and humility. I wish you great success in your new venture, and am most grateful for your friendship to me over the years. Your professional and personal example has been truly inspiring. God Bless you, Tim—you are truly one of His best soldiers.
Chris Owsik
Tim… Catholic singer/songwriter, Annie Karto here. I believe you interviewed me over 8 years ago. I found your questions thoughtful, kind, insightful. Thank you for using your talents to build up the Church. We wish you many many blessings for your family and your new venture. God bless you! annie karto
Tim, thank you for gracing the pages of the Register for so long and so well. Your humility, your honesty, your deft touch and so many other intangibles made your stories bear fruit and helped the love of Christ and the beauty of truth become tangible for so many readers. My prayers go with you in your new endeavor. God’s blessings on your family!
Just another thank you from a reader who will miss your nsightful stories in this space.
Tim, this is a great loss for the Register. Thank you for the gift of your vocation which you have given so lovingly and professionally through the Register all these years. God bless.
Thank you for your constant, joyful witness, Tim. Godspeed.
Hi Tim, shocked in reading that I will not see your articles in the NCR. You have a done a great job in bringing so many great articles to all of us. I was introduced to the NCR about 4 years ago by the founder of our apostolate Father Robert J. Fox. Father actually made it a point that I read your articles and said that he knew you and that you did a great job. God Bless, and I wish you success in your new endeavors.
Dear one and all,
I wish I could respond to each and every comment individually to let you know how it has touched me, and my family. Thank you.
John, Father Fox, may His soul rest in peace, told me, when I interviewed him so many years ago, that the National Catholic Register was pivotal to his own vocation as a priest. Isn’t it wonderful to see how God uses us, and our work, to reach others? Every life makes a difference. May God bless you, and continue to bless the important work of the Register in reaching souls for Christ.
Tim, with apologies for repeating myself: By its depth, constancy and humility, your Christian witness is, to me, a touchstone as well as an inspiration. And by the way, you’re a damn fine journalist too. The Register’s loss is emphatically the Newman Society’s great gain—and the upshot is a bracing blast of fresh air for the Catholic Church in America. Godspeed, my friend!
Tim, you are the epitome of a great Catholic journalist. You write the kind of articles that need to be written and that need to be read. And you do so, always, with humility and the Good in mind. I recall fondly your great contributions to our Catholic Writers Conference at Thomas Aquinas College many years ago and our friendship that grew out of that. The Cardinal Newman Society has found a great catch in you and I look forward to seeing all the great good you will do there.
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