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While we would like to have provided a full biography in this profile on Karl, we were, unfortunately, unable to glean that much material from Catholic Answers due to the fact that Karl is on an extended tour in Canada and has been incommunicado with the people at Catholic Answers headquarters in San Diego, thus making it impossible for them to procure biographical material on him. We hope, at a later date, to interview Karl directly and complete this profile in bringing you a little more about the man behind Catholic Answers.
We do know Karl was born on January 12; we just don't know the year, probably some time in the late forties or early fifties. We do know he spent his early childhood in the Chicago area, we just don't know if he was born there. We do know his parents relocated to the west coast where Karl attended his later grade school and high school and college, just where and when remain mysteries. We do know he received a degree in Mathematics and then a Juris Doctor in Law, becoming an attorney in San Diego in the seventies. But it was in the early eighties when his life and goals would be totally transformed. As we have said so often, God allows evil for good.
One morning in 1982 after Sunday Mass, Karl and his wife Teruko emerged from Church to find someone from a fundamentalist non-Catholic church had plastered the cars in the parking lot with anti-Catholic material and tracts. He was aware of the damage Jack Chick's infamous tracts had done in the past, and when Karl read this latest diatribe against the Faith he so dearly loved, he decided "enough was enough." Instead of spending a leisurely Sunday, he sat down and began typing an "answer" to these lies. Typing it up in his own tract, he decided to take out a P.O. Box and appropriately put a name on the tract: "Catholic Answers." An idea and new movement were born. He Xeroxed off several hundred and put them on the windshields of his fellow Catholics at Mass with the pastor's permission as well as crossing "enemy lines" to hit every windshield of the fundamentalist church which had started the foray. Soon he was being besieged by many who wanted to know more. He began to write morning, noon and night, tirelessly researching Catholic teaching and putting it in easy-to-understand terms. He even went back to school, obtaining his Masters in Theology from the University of San Diego, a pristine Catholic liberal arts college overlooking Mission Valley and the Pacific Ocean.
He contacted the late Bishop Leo T. Maher, former bishop of San Diego, and was given episcopal approval for his apostolate, submitting his tracts to the Diocese before going to print to make sure everything was in total accord with the Magisterium of the Church. Soon he was getting calls from all over requesting more tracts and he began a newsletter to communicate with the masses. It wasn't long before this "labor of love" was consuming him full time; he resigned his law practice, placing himself totally in God's hands. In January 1990 the newsletter evolved into the monthly magazine that has become so popular today with a circulation base of over 20,000 subscribers - This Rock which enabled him to provide Question and Answers, columns by other respected apologists and tools for evangelizing. He continues to serve as editor-in-chief of This Rock today.
He was one of the first to recognize the value of the internet and acquired the coveted URL www.Catholic.com where Catholic Answers and excerpts from This Rock can be found on-line as well as opportunities to purchase tracts, tapes and books in all areas of Catholic teachings, and listen to Catholic Answers' weekly radio show on Catholic Family Radio. He has written the best-seller "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" which truly is a must guide for Catholics to converse and discuss their Faith with non-Catholics in order to portray the truth and not get caught in the traps that uninformed Catholics can so easily get caught in. These tools were followed up by his book "What Catholics Really Believe: Setting the Record Straight" published in 1992 by Ignatius Press. It contained 52 answers to common misconceptions about the Catholic Faith that not only served to inform Catholics but give non-Catholics a whole new perspective of Catholicism. Cardinal John O'Connor heartily gives his endorsement, "With erudition, wit, and charm, Karl Keating explains some of the most common misperceptions and misunderstandings of the Roman Catholic Church. I highly recommend this work to Catholics seeking better to understand our Faith."
The fruits have truly manifested themselves from the countless testimonials that pour into the Catholic Answers offices in El Cajon in the shadow of the Cuyamaca mountains, just east of Metropolitan San Diego. Karl has amassed an impressive staff of around 25 people with roughly one-third of them converts. Currently he lists on his staff James Akin who is one of those converts from Evangelicalism. James has been instrumental in helping many Evangelicals make the same journey. He serves as webmaster for www.Catholic.com and edits the columns "Fathers Know Best" and "In Their Own Words" in This Rock as well as writing the "Chapters and Verse" column. His conversion story was carried in the April 1995 issue of This Rock in the article "Surprised by the Truth." He came on board Catholic Answers in 1993. Another convert is Peggy Frye whose responsibility at Catholic Answers is to answer many of the apologetic questions she fields by phone in addition to coordinating the overseas correspondence. Also on staff is Phil Lenahan serving as vice president of operations and author of the book "Financial Foundations for Today's Catholic Family." He also is president and founder of Financial Foundations for the Family, an apostolate devoted to helping Catholic families navigate the dangers of today's economy. In addition he publishes Money Sense newsletter. In addition to the apologetic staff, This Rock staff which includes Tim Smith and Chris Booer, along with various administrative staff members, Catholic Answers numbers several Franciscan University grads including Amrith Prabhu who keeps the computers humming and serves as mail list manager and Jerry Usher, presently in the seminary, who developed and initially hosted the new radio program for Catholic Answers Live. Those duties have since been assumed by Oklahoma native Johnny Hochgraefe. One of the most recent Franciscan University alums is Jason Evert whose primary responsibility is to answer the tons of e-mails that flood the website. The important volunteer program which Catholic Answers, like any non-profit Catholic organization leans heavily on, is headed by Gary Lucero who also manages the shipping department. Accounts Payable and Customer Service are covered by the North family - Maureen North, a cradle Catholic who handles the former and her daughter Jennifer North who is the first person people come in contact with when calling Catholic Answers.
Karl is blessed to have this talented staff since his busy schedule calls for him to be on the road often. He is in demand as a speaker internationally, speaking at conferences and to parish groups in answering many questions Catholics have about their Faith. Even non-Catholic groups have engaged him to speak, respecting his position and responses. Karl has been on the cutting edge, always a step ahead. He illustrated this with his early entry into the web world and with the emphasis on informing the laity with tools for evangelization; something the Holy Father has increasingly emphasized over the past five years. The main purpose of Catholic Answers has always been to "spread the Catholic faith by helping good Catholics become better Catholics, by bringing former Catholics 'home,' and by resolving misconceptions non-Catholics may have about the Church and what it teaches." He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and programs, most notably EWTN and Mother Angelica's Live program plus Catholic Family Radio which was established in many major cities two years ago by a group of Catholic businessmen spearheaded by Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., President of Ignatius Press, and placed in the capable executive hands of John Lynch also headquartered in San Diego.
Some of the booklets offered are "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth", a 32-page tract which is available in both English and Spanish for the vast Spanish market in the southwest United States and Mexico; "Refuting the Attack on Mary" by Father Mateo which is a must to refute non-Catholics' misconceptions on Our Lady and her role; Karl's "12 Painless Ways to Evangelize" which shows in the simplest of ways how parishioners can spread the gospel and inform others of the fullness of Catholic truth. Karl has recently released "No Apology from the New Apologists" which targets liberals who have attacked the current renewal of orthodox Catholic apologetics and evangelization. This is also brought into focus in James Akin's and Terrye Newkirk's eye-opening "We Are Church Fact Kit" which shows loyal Catholics how to combat We are church and other dissident groups such as Call to Action and "Catholics" for a Free Choice. James also has an excellent book released last year entitled "Mass Confusion: The Do's and Don'ts of Catholic Worship" in which he breaks down and exposes abuses in the liturgy in much the same vein as we wrote about in our editorial yesterday.
In addition to all of the above, Catholic Answers offers tapes by Scott Hahn, and Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J. on new ageism, and many others as well as tracts on God, Creation, Church, Gospel, Groups, Last Things, Morals, Sacraments, Saints, Salvation, and Scripture. In conclusion, Karl has covered all aspects of the Faith from explaining where the Bible came from to dealing with the apocalyptic tone of the nineties. He explains on his web page that apologetics does not mean saying "we're sorry" but rather the etymology of the word is derived from the Greek apoloji which means to speak from a position" - a position of strength. And there is nothing stronger than the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Karl just wants to help his fellow Catholics bring home as many prodigal sons as possible by providing the tools necessary to effect this. When it comes to the question of conversion, Karl Keating has proven that Catholic Answers has the answers.
John VI died on January 11, 705 followed by Pope John VII from Rossano di Calabria who was elected on March 1, 705. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian II tried to intimidate him with ambiguous claims which John VII refused to go along with and this resulted in massacres which further separated East from West as the Latin Church and peoples fought for their own identity. John VII's plans were cut short by his death on October 18, 707.
His successor was Pope Sisinnius from Syria who was chosen on January 15, 708 and died less than a month later on February 708. He had intended to reinforce and restore the walls of Rome which had been constantly pounded by the Saracens and Lombards.
Pope Constantine replaced Sisinnius on March 25, 708. Another Syrian-born Pope, Constantine encouraged Spanish Christians against the Saracen infidels who were ransacking their lands. He instituted the act of obedience by encouraging the kissing of the foot of Saint Peter as acknowledgment that he was the first Pope. This created consternation with the Eastern Emperor who captured Constantine and took him to Constantinople. Rather than getting the Pope to submit, Constantine was able to bring some form of peace between the Empire and the Church; so much so that he was released and allowed to return to Rome where he died on April 9, 715.
On May 19, 715 he was succeeded by Pope Saint Gregory II, the first of three saintly Popes who would bring stability and longevity to the papacy. A Roman by birth, Gregory II faced the Edict of Constantinople head on. It dealt with iconoclasm - forbidding the cult of images - which the Church rejected. He also turned his attention to defeating iconoclastic armies led by the new Eastern Emperor Leo III or Leo the Isaurian who introduced the heresy of iconoclasm. St. Gregory II rallied the Italian provinces who, through his leadership were able to keep the iconoclasts and Turks out of Italy for all time. He authorized Saint Boniface to evangelize Germany. In 723 he made Boniface a Bishop, giving him the name of Boniface which replaced his baptized name of Winifred He died on February 11, 731 after a sixteen year pontificate.
Another Gregory followed him on March 18, 731 when Syrian-born Pope Saint Gregory III as the 90th in the line of Peter. His ten year papacy was highlighted by the intense fighting against the Lombards and his turning west in seeking the assistance of Charles Martel, King of the Franks. Thus began the Church's alliance with France and the title "Most Christian" which was assumed by the French Kings ever since. It was also St. Gregory III who gave the name to charitable donations to the Holy See as "Peter's Pence." He died ten days over ten years on the papal throne on March 28, 741.
The final of the holy Popes was Pope Saint Zacharias or Zachary, who was chosen to head the Church on December 10, 741 after a nine-month vacancy. He was the last of the "Greek Popes" and continued the Papal fight against the Lombard invasions. He was also one of the first pilgrim Popes, traveling to France where he personally consecrated Pipin the Short as King of the Franks. Pipin was, of course, the father of Charlemagne. It was the first investiture of a sovereign by a Sovereign Pontiff and set a precedent that would last for centuries as well as create conflict regarding clerical investiture between the Holy See and various rulers. St. Zachary died on March 22, 752.
1302 A.D.
Death of Saint Gertrude the Great. For more on this saint, see DAILY LITURGY
1985 A.D.
Pope John Paul II beatifies Blessed Pio Campidelli, C.P., Blessed Marie Teresa of Jesus Gerhardinger and Blessed Rafqa Ar-Rayes.
To those who might, at this point, be a bit squeamish about such a Heroic Act of Charity, fearing that one will arrive in Eternal Life with nothing to offer God, there are several consoling points to be made. One is taken from the life of Saint Gertrude the Great whose feast we celebrated yesterday. She had made a complete donation of all her works of satisfaction in favor of the faithful departed, without reserving anything for herself. Being at the point of death, she saw on the one hand the number of her sins, and on the other hand, she remembered that she had fully donated all her works of satisfaction for the expiation of the sins of others. This sorely afflicted her, for the devil tempted her to consider that she would now, upon entering eternity, suffer the more. It was then that Our Lord appeared to her and said: "Be assured, My daughter, your charity towards the departed will be no detriment to you. Know that the generous donation you have made of all your works to the holy souls has been singularly pleasing to Me; and to give you a proof thereof, I declare to you that all the pains you would have had to endure in the other life are now remitted; moreover, in recompense for your generous charity, I will so enhance the value of the merits of your works as to give you a great increase of glory in Heaven." These were Jesus' Own words to be one of His saints. Why, then, should we be afraid?
Another great saint - Saint Theresa the Little Flower did the same thing, granting her satisfactory value to the souls in Purgatory. Please pray about what you should do. Search your heart carefully, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and counsel you. Then, read the following Act of Heroic Charity, and discern if this is what God is asking of you. Knowing that we are in the end times of the two-thousand years period, that we are facing a darkness in our world both spiritually and, eventually, physically, we need to do all that we can to be prepared. Each sacrifice strengthens us in our faith, and moves us forward in our abandonment to the Will of God. And we must not forget that every Holy Soul whom we assist toward the Beatific Vision will spend their eternity interceding for us, working tirelessly for us that we, too, will be with them forever in Heaven in giving praise and adoration to the Triune Divinity.
This is also a wonderful preparation for Advent - just over a week away, and the coming feast of Christmas, where we can remold a true remodeling of our poor hearts into hearts like those of Jesus and Mary. By such a worthwhile prepartion, we can be assured that on Christmas Day our very hearts and souls will be worthy "stables" or "tabernacles," radiant with peace, joy and the grace of God dwelling in us.
The following prayer was imparted by Our Lady to the Hidden Flower in the early nineties. It is a formula for offering a Heroic Act of Charity.
This Heroic Act of Charity has been approved by Popes Benedict XIII, Pius VI and Pius XI. It includes the following indulgences and privileges:
2. The simple faithful can gain a plenary indulgence, applicable to the souls in Purgatory only, each time they receive Holy Communion, provided they visit a church or chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is present, and there pray for the intention of the Holy Father.
3. They may apply to the holy souls all those indulgences which are not otherwise applicable by virtue of concession, and which have been granted up to the present time, or which shall be granted in the future. (Pius IX, Papal Decree, 30 September 1852).1. To those priests who have made this act the indult of a privileged altar every day in the year.
