<div>My name is Dr. Thomas A. Droleskey, a seventy-three year-old former college professor of political science (1974-2007, 2014) at various colleges and universities across the United States of America and a writer of articles and commentaries of interest to traditional Catholics.
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<div>The purpose of this current fund raising appeal is to raise funds to provide for a down payment on inexpensive used car after the the transmission of my 2000 Ford Econoline van, which I purchased for $1800 on June 30, 2021, died while I was driving it.
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<div>Well, I have to make a slight correction.
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<div>I was driving into the parking lot of an eye care center on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to obtain an estimate of the cost of one pair of progressive lenses with maximum coating protection because of the intermediate stage dry macular degeneration that I was diagnosed as having by an ophthalmologist on January 16, 2025 (the condition has progressed from early stage dry macular degeneration on April 30, 2024, to the intermediate stage in nine months) and a pair of progressive prescription sunglasses with maximum protection coating when my car refused to shift into the rear gear.
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<div>Oy!
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<div>Penance is better than ever in 2025!
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<div>Well, assessing the situation, I discovered the van could go forward in the drive gear, so I prayed that the driveway went all the way around the eye care center's building. It did not.
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<div>Thus, I swung the van wide in the back of the building and turned around by driving on grass at the edge of a steep hill to maneuver the vehicle back onto the driveway and then out of the parking lot and back onto the road.
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<div>Once on the road. though, I felt that transmission was slipping and catching as I drove. Rather than wait interminably for a tow from the American Automobile Association, I prayed Hail Marys as I drove the nine miles home to our semi-rural residence, which is on top of a hill. The van made it back home and up the driveway, where it sits very quietly at this time, replete with a new feature: the right front tire had gone flat.
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<div>Yes, I added transmission fluid and some goop to stop transmission fluid from leaking. However, the van would still not shift into the rear gear. The transmission is gone.
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<div>As much as I like the old clunker as it is a comfortable riding vehicle that provides me height and ease of entrance and exit, it is not worth repairing as it also has major electrical problems that have spread so much within the vehicle that the windshield wiper motor no longer works. (A mechanic tried to replace the motor and was mystified why the new motor did not work. I said that I was hoping a new motor would fix the problem but realized that the electrical problems might the cause.)
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<div>Additionally, the van has body problems as rain pours into the vehicle when it rains or snows. It even stores up the rain and sends water my way when I least expect it to do so.
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<div>This is. at least for me, a relatively short way of saying that I need a new older used car that will not cost that much money.
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<div>My van, which was preceded by a 1981 used Ford Ranger pickup truck from 2016 to 2021, is a second vehicle for us as my wife and daughter are away on business frequently. With my mobility limited by various spinal problems, end-stage osteoarthritis of both knees, and arthritis in my feet, the days of my being a pedestrian are well behind me. A second car is a necessity.
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<div>As my only source of regular, predictable income is my meager monthly Social Security payment and whatever non-tax-deductible financial gifts that are sent by those who support the work of my traditional Catholic website, I do not have the cash to make a down payment on an older used vehicle or to purchase such a vehicle outright. I need the help of those who have the financial resources to make this possible.
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<div>Now, for those who think that I don't do any work, the fact is that I do a whole of detailed writing for my website, which is not the only reader-supported website in the relatively small traditional Catholic universe. There are people who profit from my work but who do not have the means to make a non-tax-deductible financial gift, which is why I am making this appeal as much as I would prefer not to do so.
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<div>As a Catholic, I accept everything that happens within the Providence of God and offer up all the sufferings that my sins so richly deserve as the consecrated slave of His Co-Equal, Co-Eternal Divine Son, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of His Most Blessed Mother. This is Lent, which means this is a time more than ever to accept our penances with joy and gratitude.
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<div>Right now, though, I need help. I need your help!
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<div>It is my hope that a few of my former students and perhaps some of those familiar with my writing might have the ability to make donations to us to fulfill the goal to purchase another used vehicle.  There might even be some people who might recall me from my days at Shea Stadium as rather prominent fan in the stands.
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<div>Thank you for your consideration of this appeal.
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<div>Although I can only repay you with my poor prayers, I assure one and all who do give that I will pray for them and their intentions every day.
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<div>With prayers in Christ the King and His Most Blessed Mother,
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<div>Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D.
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