Thank you for the constructive criticism. I will try to defend.
- Though the web site is not necessarily the best reflection of our apostolate due to many things like the lack of money, skill, and resources, we’re not trying to be trendy. Nearly everything we sell is counter-cultural (even within the mainstream of the Church), and most of our designs are based off of icons and sacred art.
One consideration…If you took our apparel and coffee away, we are selling nothing but Traditional Catholic books (mostly written by Saints!) on monasticism, the Traditional Latin Mass, the Social Kingship of Christ, and the Religious Life; Sacred Music - exclusively Gregorian Chant (we don’t even sell contemporary music!); Rosaries, Medals, Crucifixes, Scapulars (which most Catholics don’t wear anymore), Chapel Veils (which even fewer Catholics wear), and videos. What’s “trendy” about Sacramentals, Chant, Monasticism, and the Traditional Latin Mass?
I think part of the problem is that most of the mainstream Catholic culture one sees in Catholic bookstores, parishes, and other Catholic merchandise is very modern, abstract, gimmicky, heretical, or just bad - like Soccer Jesus statues, stations of the Cross in the form of quilts, pop psychology books, and t-shirts that compare the Seven Sacraments to the 7-Eleven gas station. Or, in Traditionalist circles, there is the over-reaction against the Modernists, and therefore they are fearful of all things “new”, technological, decorative, or even classic. I think you may be associating something that actually looks aesthetically appealing with some “trendy” because what we do is actually done well. I don’t know.
- We’re not youth driven really at all.
The majority of our customer base is over 30 years old (mostly married with many children) and many as old as in their 60’s (with grandchildren) and more academically driven. We have done ok with Catholic youth (I guess), but in all honesty, they don’t understand much of what we do or sell because they don’t know much about the Faith (usually asking, “What’s this?”). I was in the midst of 25,000 of them last fall… apart from the little buttons, it was over their head.
Catholic youth - and this is confirmed by friends I have who do Catholic youth and young adult ministry full-time - are lost. It’s very sad. I don’t blame them. It’s what they have been taught and not taught. My point, we’re not trying to appeal to youth “where their at”. We’re trying to bring them to timeless unchanging Tradition of the One, Holy, Roman Church. So any “youthiness” we have is merely coincidental.
For the record, our apostolate is taken very seriously by the priests, bishops, Religious, and professors I speak with face-to-face around the country (over 100,000 people just last year) as well as online internationally.
Now, something like LifeTeen is trendy and youth-driven. And I don’t see us having a single thing in common with them.
- I do not see how the coffee names are “flippant” and different that what has been done by Religious Orders for centuries with beers and fruitcakes. I don’ know why you can’t see the connection…
The names, like “Little Flower” and “Brother Broom” ARE the actual nicknames of the Saints. We didn’t make anything up. We also took the time to associate their coffees with their patronage or story.
There is a Traditional Carmelite Order in Wyoming who started roasting and selling their own coffee called “Mystic Monk”. Is that flippant? Do you have a problem with what they are doing?
Thank you for caring enough to post your criticism. I hope you don’t mind me taking the time to clarify our position.
St. Bernadette, pray for us.
