by William Deatherage, Chief Executive of the Defenders of Faith
As the school year comes to a close for us East-Coast students, it’s time for celebration, departures, and new arrivals. This year, Clarifying Catholicism has gathered over 5,000 video views and 1600 blog post views. This absolutely smashes last year’s 3,000 video views and 400 blog views. Thanks to your support, we have been able to almost double our YouTube count and QUADRUPLE this website’s popularity. Around this time last year, the WordPress blog was still in its infancy. Today, we are experiencing more traffic than ever. As we look forward to expanding, we find ourselves making positive changes in our structure. But first…
AWARDS
Every year, we enjoy giving a series of awards to recognize achievement of our content creators! Let’s see who received honors this year!
One Hundred Views
- Jacob Dicken: The Clarifying Catholicism Compendium (Video)
- Rory Martinez: What is a Rosary? (Video)
- Clara Garcia: 30 Things You Should Really Give up for Lent (Blog)
- Mary Ryan: Trusting in Our Lord (Blog)
One Thousand Views
- Cameron Gaub: Marching to Victory: The March for Life (Video)
Senior Awards (Given to Active Content Creators who have been with us the Longest)
- Senior Video Writer: Andrew Plasker (since October 2015)
- Senior Blog Writer: Alex Koshakji (since November 2016)
- Senior Cinematographer: Eduardo Perez Rubio (since October 2016)
- Senior Director: Simon Falk (since December 2016)
The John Paul II Awards
These are the most prestigious awards given by our organization. Each winner received a diploma, Pope St. John Paul II rosary, and a spot on the “JPII Award” display.
The John Paul II Award in Film: Cameron Gaub (High School)
The John Paul II Award in Writing: Clara Garcia (Freshman)
The John Paul II Award in Cinematography: Alex Donahoe (Sophomore)
(Not Pictured)
The John Paul II Award in Directing: Liam O’Toole (Sophomore)
The John Paul II Award in Overall Excellence: Eduardo Perez-Rubio (Sophomore)
The John Paul II Award in Lifetime Achievement: Simon Falk (Senior)
In addition to serving as the oldest member of the team, Simon will be graduating and is considering Religious Life. We wish him the best of blessings!
Restructuring
Shortly, we will be publishing a brief report on the “State of the Defenders,” detailing our progress this year and the changes that will come.
Departures/Shifts
- Simon Falk, a graduating Senior, is considering Religious life. Though he will appear in Season Six videos, his involvement may cease during his new life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He will, therefore, step down from his position of Senior Director.
- Jacob Dicken will step down from Director Consultant, with the dissolution of the Clarifying Catholicism Focus Group. Instead, he will take up Simon’s post as Senior Director.
- Eduardo Perez-Rubio will still make content, primarily as a Cinematographer. He will, however, be stepping down from Assistant Director of Washington D.C. Operations. This position will not be filled.
Additions
- Austin Visk will step in as Director of Cinematography, a previously defunct position that was last held during Season Four of Clarifying Catholicism.
- Mary Ryan will assume position of Director of Writing for the Clarifying Catholicism blog, a position also resurrected from Season Four.
- Cameron Gaub will serve as Director of Social Media, working on our expansion into various forms of such media.
Summer Plans
General restructuring will occur for our Board of Directors, as tasks are more formalized. An official report will be published soon about such changes, delegating more responsibility and leadership to young Catholics who write and produce content for the site.
As per tradition, the end of the school year signals the end of the Production Season. However, we will be starting Season Six of Clarifying Catholicism very soon, following a short break. We have decided that it would be best to put out as much content during the summer, since, well, people have time to watch YouTube more during such time!
So, as always, thank you for your continued support to Clarifying Catholicism! We hope you enjoyed Season Five. Please look forward to Season Six, COMING SOON!!!
-William Deatherage, Chief Executive of The Defenders of Faith and Executive Producer of Clarifying Catholicism
