There are a lot of challenges to be faced when starting a new business endeavor. Interestingly however it is how the pieces seem to providentially fall into place bit by bit that I find the most fascinating in hindsight. This is not to say lots of logistics weren’t involved in the formation of the company; there were a good deal of meetings, and a drive to make things work because of our shared Catholic faith. Each of us in the company find ourselves compelled to do whatever we can, in some small way, to create good works that are pleasing to God.
It’s enough for a man to fulfill his duties in a world that is mostly secular. Whether it be working in sales, or IT, or any other job that seems far away from being purposeful and mainly a means of providing for oneself or one’s family. What brings together a company like Shield of Faith is effort from these same types of people that is nothing short of a labor of love.
We work our jobs to make ends meet, but we’ve built Shield of Faith from scratch to create works that are spiritually gratifying. Particularly when it comes to such specific and possibly divisive content like The Una Cum Issue and the Honor God, the company’s debut release (I say divisive because the book is a much needed work to be shared so Catholic faithful can more easily understand and defend their position on the Una Cum issue.)
It’s love of God and the intent to create meaningful and spiritually gratifying good works which has brought an Englishman, a Frenchman, Americans and Canadians; Catholics from all over the world with a diverse set of skills to provide all the pieces needed to create a fully functioning business.
None of the Shield of Faith team are clergy with years of deep Catholic study under our belts. Nor have we taken up the vocation of being priests so selflessly the way our clergy have. What we offer instead is being cogs in a machine which helps bring good Catholic works to print, from truly knowledgeable and respectable Catholic authors who deeply understand the faith and have the authority to instruct Catholic faithful.
What we’re not is a company that is self-publishing our own hot takes on whatever issues we may attempt to be lay-theologians on. It’s precisely because we have the humility to understand that we are merely a function of bringing these works to print, that we can get out of our own way and allow the pieces to fall into place just as they need to be.
There are many frustrating moments which occur at all stages of running a new business, especially as workflows are newly implemented, and teammates learn how to work together for the first time on a project. I have found myself juggling the numerous duties of life over the last few months (made all the more complicated by relocating from London, England, to the Mary Help of Christians mission in Melbourne, Australia); amidst this juggling I have had to level-up my skill set in order to do my part to bring our first book to print.
There is no doubt a steep learning curve which comes from starting a new business. And many mistakes to be made and learned from. The backbone of such an endeavor relies heavily on asking oneself why to do any of it in the first place. To make money? There’s of ways to make money in the world (though not necessarily easy). With Shield of Faith the call to help bring the pieces of the company together is one that I couldn’t have possibly ignored. How could I possibly ignore the call to get to work on Shield of Faith and our debut release The Una Cum Issue and The Honor God when, if not us, then who?
What other company would choose to jump hurdle after hurdle to bring this book to Catholic faithful? It’s precisely because, without each and every member of Shield of Faith, the book would not be ready to print right now, and may never have been ready to print. This alone gave us all the spirit of perseverance to see the book, I would hope, in your hands someday soon.