Joe Catholic

It was a long time back. Well, not too long–we’ll say within the last ten years; I was asked to do a coloring page for children in my local diocesan newspaper. This was fun, it was a way for me to continue drawing and earn a little coin in my pocket on the side. As the liturgical cycle spun round, and all the popular bible verses were drawn, I began to get a little stale (which I think the editor picked up on) and by happenstance became quite enamored with ShortCuts, a syndicated educational comic that runs in some newspapers (it has showed up in mine recently, to my surprise!)

I was travelling and managed to catch a paper that had this feature, and suddenly, it hit me: catechesis in comic form! Why not do something similar (while not infringing on copyright) for “Joe Catholic”, explaining the richness of the Catholic Faith. The name stuck, and I decided to get out my pencils and paper.

As a diocesan paper feature it could serve a variety of age groups, and was a shoe-in. So I thought. Well, it was a shoe-out, and for whatever reason, they weren’t interested. I never quite put down my pencil, though. As I began to think about it, the Joe Catholic character seemed too dynamic to be simply a “one panel, deliver the info and go”, type of guy.

Rather, it would be neat if he could have adventures, similar to the likes of Jonny Quest (of which I am a fan), Mission: Impossible, and the like. So, Joe became an episodic concept and “The Adventures of Joe Catholic: Seeker of Mystery” the series was conceived.

As you can imagine, priestly life is quite busy, but this is, I think, a way for me to do several things:

• First, it’s a way to remain versed in the Tradition of the Church.
• Second, it’s a way to keep up with the talent so graciously given to me by God.
• Third, it’s a way to challenge myself to appropriate Scripture and Tradition in a way that is digestible by, well, Joe and Jane Catholic – the average person aspiring towards holiness and knowing the Lord Better.
• Finally, it’s a way for me to continue my education in the matters of the faith, as well as share it with a global audience. It is I think, a true expression of what talent is: not something buried, but invested in the bank of humanity and allowed to gather interest as it one day returns to the Father.

I do hope you enjoy the stories, and as always I welcome your comments and suggestions. If you have as much fun reading it as I do making it, then we’re both having a lot of fun!