It was twenty-five years ago today (5/13/2000) that Spirit Daily began in a basement in Latham, New York (a suburb of Albany).
Through the Grace of God (and only Him) it has been updated with new headlines seven days a week, every single one–9,131 consecutive days–since. It is operated by my wife Lisa (who day after day sent hundreds of emails informing folks of the site) and me. At the time, I was solely an author (The Final Hour, Witness, After Life, Prayer of the Warrior, and secular work such as Laying Waste). This is an example of the first year:
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This is the earliest on file at the Library of Congress (soon after 9/11):
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It has been updated from Manhattan to deep Africa, from Utah (where I was stranded for a week during 9/11) to Costa Rica, from Medjugorje, Lourdes, Knock, and Guadalupe to LaSalette, the Sea of Galilee, and other holy sites, and in the more than a hundred cities in which we conducted retreats (which we hope to start up again shortly; we suspended them during the Covid pandemic): nonstop, from hotels and guest houses to a hospital delivery room.
A quarter of a century. (We don’t have a copy of our very first.)
Only the Lord, with the blessed Mother’s constant, watchful love, could have made that happen.
Our first headline was what, to this day, remains our largest:
THIRD SECRET RELEASED
The headline announced news the Vatican was unsealing the famous prophecy from Fátima. May 13, of course, is the anniversary of her first apparition at Fátima.
When it was released to the public on June 26, 2000, we were blessed with being (from a hotel room in Washington, D.C.) the first to do so online.
During 2001, Spirit Daily carried three articles—right up to mid-August of that year–warning that a major event involving foreign adversaries on our own soil was ready to occur.
That–a prophecy, as it turned out, of 9/11–had come from mystic Maria Esperanza.
The website was maintained through hundreds of thousands of book sales and through your kind help, which is ever more appreciated in this age of ebooks and Amazon.
We’ve sought to provide books we think are helpful to Catholics at the lowest price and shipping possible from our meager vantage point. Hopefully, the books and other products (remember videos?) have assisted in the Christian walk during these perilous, challenging, and yet great times.
Spirit Daily had an interesting beginning. In 2000 I was working on a secular book about the probabilities of various natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanoes, asteroid hits, mega-tornadoes). It was for one of the world’s largest publishers, by far the most substantial advance I’d ever given for a book, which was important at a time when we had two young children and would soon have a third on the way. We solely relied on my earnings as a writer, which could be a bit of a roller coaster.
While feverishly interviewing scientists and writing the first draft for that book, I received a fax from a good friend, Marcia Smith in San Mateo, California. She wanted me to see an unusual, unofficial message given in Medjugorje to the seer Mirjana Dragicevic Soldo. In it, the Blessed Mother was nearly pleading for prayers.
I was so touched by the unique phraseology that I stopped my non-stop phone interviews for the book, which was under deadline, went to a couch in that basement, in front of a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, and began praying a Rosary.
Around the end of the second decade, a voice flew into my head, one that immediately impressed me as the Virgin (though I certainly was no visionary or locutionist). It posed a simple question: “Will you take on another mission?”
Immediately I said yes–then hopped off the couch, fretting over what I may have gotten myself into.
Another mission?
What about what I was working on?
A couple of days later I received a frantic phone call from my agent. The publisher had called to cancel the book contract. They gave no reason and never did.
Despite what should have been devastating news, I felt inexplicably tranquil. Lisa felt otherwise. But by then we were using the internet, which was in its very formative years (with a dial-up connection through AOL), and an idea popped into mind. Why not create a website of spiritual news (originally it was going to be “Spirit World Daily”) with links to Catholic and Christian sites that, like us, were in a nascent stage?
I would continue to write books, while Lisa would simply have to sell a few videos or books each day (through the website) to stay home with the kids.
We found a person who knew how to design a web page, and it was finalized on May 13, 2000, at which time we took full control.
The domain name “Spirit World Daily” was not available.
Instead–and far better–“Spirit Daily” thus was born: a news aggregate site with additional, original articles or commentaries.
The rest is, as they say, history. For a quarter of a century now, Spirit Daily has focused on Catholic news, whether the Church, apparitions of the Virgin Mary, healing, pertinent world news (and signs), the afterlife, prophecy, or spiritual warfare. We felt there was a tremendous need to reinsert the mystical into the Mystical Body of Jesus and hopefully have helped in that “mission.” (Among our early daily viewers were the family of Maria Esperanza and Mother Angelica.)
Thank you, Blessed Mother, for allowing us to assist you, in whatever small, medium, or big way.
And thank all of you for your generous support. Many of you have been with us for those two and a half decades.
Thank You Jesus.
Excuse us this indulgence in personal memory.
Thank you Our Lady of Fátima.
And thanks to all of you, for your support, loyalty, and prayers.
God bless you richly and always, dear friends.
–Michael H. Brown, Florida
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