The year 2000 got off to a big bang for Envoy, but now we’re headed toward what I think will be more of a steady state. We underwent several key changes that will, I believe, bring you significant improvements in the way we operate. For starters, we shifted our footing to a non-profit status (that’s right, now your donations to help Envoy’s apostolate are tax deductible. You can find out more at our website at www.envoymagazine.com/donate.htm.)

Another change has been the departure of some of our good friends who have moved on to other important work God has called them to. Lynn Klika, Melanee Targia, Matt Pinto and Kim Petiprin all played key roles in Envoy’s development. (Matt helped me found the magazine.) They each worked hard to nurture Envoy into the award-winning periodical it is — in Matt’s case, from its very inception and founding. They all did great work, and we offer them our deep gratitude for their friendship and hard work. May God bless and prosper the new endeavors each is now pursuing. We’ll miss you.

Other bittersweet goodbyes go to friends Tracy Moran, Brian Paul, and Zoë Romanowsky. They have all been contributing editors for a long time — Tracy, since our very first issue. Tracy’s “Diplomatic Corps” and Zoë’s “Friends in the Field” departments have been among our most popular. Brian, one of the funniest and most amiable people I know (not that Zoë and Tracy aren’t funny and amiable) was for the last few years an integral part of our editorial team, and he hit several home runs with articles such as “Smashing Pumpkins” and “Looking for God in All the Wrong Places.” Tracy is expecting her fourth child, and so her ever-growing familial duties as wife and mom are taking their rightful priority over other things, Envoy included. In keeping with his talent for writing, Brian has landed a prestigious editorial position with a large publisher on the East Coast. Their gain is our loss. Zoë has a burgeoning literary career and is pursuing her calling as an accomplished author and public speaker. You can write for us anytime, Zoë.

And how can I say enough about my friend Jim Moore? A playwright, Irishman, proud father, and a guitar-playing lover of Classic Rock, Jim came to us a year ago, forsaking his swank job as an associate producer at the CBS Evening News – where he had been for 15 years – because he is committed to the Christ and His Church and wants to use his talents to spread the good Word. Jim has served for the last year as Envoy’s managing editor — an editorial “packmule/Indiana Jones” combination, to be sure. He did a magnificent job of running a tight ship, putting out fires, cleaning up messes, getting things on track in many ways, and all the while banging out his well-liked “Rocking the Cradle Catholic” department. But word of his formidable writing talent spread quickly, and it wasn’t long before a major secular firm made Jim an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. We’re happy for him in his new position, but we’re gonna dearly miss his wit and wisdom.

You did well, laddy. Maith ort. Slán agus beannacht.

But enough. No need to be overly somber. This isn’t a wake, it’s a smiling wave goodbye to good friends. We’ll miss you all. Thanks for all your talent and hard work and great writing and vision. Envoy is a better magazine because of each of you.

(In lieu of flowers, please send gifts of chocolate, fine wine, and other goodies to the “Envoy Vaya con Dios Program,” care of Patrick Madrid. (It will be safe with me. Seriously.)

Now, let’s wipe the tears away (sniff) and turn to the bright side.
We have many new and talented crew members manning the oars on the Good Ship Envoy. Let me introduce them to you:

Caroline Schermerhorn is our shiny, happy editorial assistant. She always has a ready laugh and a smile that reminds us that working on Envoy is fun, even when the workload gets hectic. She works with me in preparing each new issue of Envoy, acting as a member of our editorial review committee (the secretive Envoy “Star Chamber” that decides the fate of submitted manuscripts), and editing our “What Would You Do?” and “Random Access” departments. Caroline and her husband, Kelly, are raising their six children in central Ohio. You can e-mail her at caroline@envoymagazine.com.

Michael Hernon (biz@envoymagazine.com) is our operations manager. Based at Envoy’s operations center in Steubenville, Ohio, he oversees the day-to-day details of Envoy’s non-editorial work. Mike is shiny and happy too, but he’s also relentless in his attention to detail, making sure that the website is updated regularly and that our subscriber services department is humming along. 

And that’s where Amy Aesbach, Nerissa Bock, Bernadette Homol and Betsy Russell come in. They’re our crack team of customer service representatives. They all do a great job of keeping things moving forward and making sure our subscribers’ questions are answered. In addition to subscriber services, all three are involved in making the daily grind of Envoy’s operations grind ever-more smoothly and efficiently. You can e-mail any questions to Amy, Nerrisa, or Betsy at service@envoymagazine.com.

Back to the editorial side of the house. I’m happy to announce that Dr. Paul Thigpen has joined the Envoy crew as our new associate editor. Many of our readers will know him from his moving conversion testimony, “His Open Arms Welcomed Me,” in the book Surprised by Truth. Paul’s duties include vetting article submissions, proofreading and copy editing, and offering sage advice on all manner of issues that affect Envoy’s editorial decisions. We’ve had a long and happy relationship with Paul — in fact, his article “Apocalypse Again” was the cover story in our very first issue, all those years ago. A widely published author and a professional editor, Paul brings an immense level of skill to the team. You can e-mail him at paul@envoymagazine.com. 

Tim Drake, also a skilled writer and editor, has joined the editorial crew, working on proofreading and copyediting and as a member of our editorial review team. Tim’s sharp eye for good copy is an important resource for us as we sift through the many article submissions we get each month. As a contributing editor to Envoy, Tim writes our popular “Diplomatic Corps” department, which profiles leading Catholics. Stay tuned for some exciting personality profiles from Tim in coming Envoy issues. His e-mail address is tim@envoymagazine.com. 

Lisa Axelson is Envoy’s advertising sales manager. She’s the one who does such a good job of enticing advertisers to tout their wares in our pages. She and her husband, Troy, live in Minneapolis, where they’re raising their family: one son and another on the way. (By the way, Lisa asked me to mention that if you’re interested in advertising, you can find plenty of information on our website at www.envoymagazine.com/advertise.htm.) Lisa’s e-mail address is ads@envoymagazine.com. 

Kevin Murphy, known to his friends as “Murph,” is our circulation manager. A professional in the field of promoting circulation and advertising for secular periodicals, Kevin generously takes time out of his busy schedule to help Envoy ramp up its circulation. He’s already helped refine our system, and we have more improvements on the way, compliments of Flashmaster Murphy. (Pssst … Kevin asked me to tell you that the way you personally can help is to buy a ton of gift subscriptions. You can do that on our website or by calling us at 800-553-6869). His e-mail is murph@envoymagazine.com. 

The new Envoy team is working hard on our big plans for the magazine. I’ll tell you more about them in coming issues. One recent development is that, under Mike Hernon’s direction, we completed phase one of an extensive overhaul of our website, where you can read all our back issues and search for subjects by keywords or phrases. Phase two is coming soon — and so are several other enhancements for Envoy. So please keep those prayers coming! We do this for you. Why? Because we like you.

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