We’re grateful for some excellent work from our writers this week. In our day and age, we too often see the private pain of individuals made a public spectacle, but two writers in this issue have done a marvelous job of making their personal painful experiences helpful to others.

One is Keith Cobb, who writes about his own association with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. We told him we wanted a story that respected what is attractive about Transcendental Meditation while mincing no words about what is dangerous about it, too. He gave us that, using his experience to help others.

We also have an interview with Regina Doman in which she touches on a personal episode we hesitated to bring up. But we’re grateful that she did, and that in the context of Lent it can help others who face tragic loss.

Finally, I wanted to bring your attention to a special project under way here. About 450 men will be ordained priests this sum--mer. Given the difficulty and in some cases, the impossibility of finding the ad--dresses of the new priests, the Register wants to send a personal copy to each deacon at his seminary.

The entire project will cost us $11,670. We will need help to make it happen. A gift of $129 will provide the National Catholic Register to five soon-to-be-priests. Help us out during Lent, if you can.

Contributions that come in no later than March 16, Palm Sunday, will be in time for us to arrange to have the Register accompany the new priests as they grapple with the challenge of their first assignments.