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The Year in Review

Today marks one year since I started this blog. So it probably marks about fifteen years since my son started bugging me to start blogging. I’m very glad I finally took him up on it. I’ve met so many fascinating people through these pages. I thank you all for visiting, commenting, and sending me notes. I’ve learned much from the give and take that comes with this territory, which was very new to me (and still is). My unpleasant experiences I can count on one hand — and still have fingers left over.

Here’s some trivia from Junior the Webmaster. I have no idea what any of it means.

In its first year, this blog racked up 845,546 hits, 386,086 page views, 164,258 visits, and 74,376 unique visitors.

The most visited posts were:

Youth When the Church Was Young

Roman Cruelty, Christian Purity

My list of Top 20 books on the Fathers

The Time Capsule (on the Didache)

Another bit of trivia: This blog is one of Google’s top hits for several searches. But my absolute favorite is “Christian baby names.” I earned this by posting on some ancient Christians’ choice to name themselves “Stercorius” (literally, Crap). I hope I haven’t started a trend.

The top-selling books through the site are (in order):

The Fathers of the Church (by far!)

The Mass of the Early Christians

The Grail Code: Quest for the Real Presence

and Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians

The most popular non-Aquilina books are (in order):

Through Their Own Eyes: Liturgy as the Byzantines Saw It by Robert Taft, S.J.

The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God by Robert Louis Wilken

The Christian Catacombs of Rome: History, Decoration, Inscriptions by Fabrizio Bisconti et al.

Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words by my friend Rod Bennett

In Procession Before the World: Martyrdom As Public Liturgy in Early Christianity by Robin Darling Young

If all I did in the course of the last year was sell these books I’ve loved by authors I admire, I’d count myself a great success at blogging. I hope you who bought them enjoyed the books half as much as I did. If so, you’re pretty happy campers in this KOA (Kampground of the Ancients).

I can’t thank all of you enough for encouraging me in this work. I address my gratitude to Junior first, but to all of you who have clicked here. When you do that, I know that a tree has fallen in the forest.

8 thoughts on “The Year in Review

  1. A few weeks ago I found your book “The Grail Code” through Touchstone Magazine. After devouring that, I’m now working through “The Mass of the Early Christians.” Thank you for being here online and for your books! My journey to Roman Catholicism has been blessed by all you are doing.

  2. Among the blessings I have received from this blog was the opportunity to meet and commission a work from Lea Marie Ravotti. She isn’t finished yet, but the preliminary sketch tells me she has discerned my deepest intentions and will render them beautifully. I am most grateful.

  3. Thanks Mike, for an interesting and informative year. Your blog is one of my favorite stops on the Internet. Keep up the good work.

    Pax,
    John

  4. What a first year, Mike! Your service in the Lord’s vineyard will certainly not be forgotten by the many you have helped. I, for my part, hope to introduce all of our Catechumen/Elect to Living the Mysteries. We are all in your debt.

  5. Happy Anniversary Mike! Keep up the great work that you do! Vito P.S. I’ve read both of your topselling books and enjoyed them thoroughly.

  6. I’m getting misty! Thanks, all!

  7. It’s great having you around! (And at least 40,000 of those visits are probably mine….)

  8. Yep. The second 40,000 are mine. Congratulations, Mike. Keep up the great work.

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