The story of how Angelqueen.org began

A response to anti-traditionalists becomes the largest traditional Catholic website on the internet

By John Grasmeier
Angelqueen.org
October, 2006

When I first began attending Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels chapel in Fort Myers, I became aware of the fact that we didn't have a chapel website. Being that I'm a webmaster and that most webmasters believe everything needs a website, I thought that I'd volunteer to build one for the chapel. I discussed the idea with the chapel caretaker at the time, a very nice lady named "Sue".  Sue agreed that it would be a good idea to have an online presence for OLQA in order to post Mass times, days of obligation, messages from father, prayers etc. We could also possibly attract new members who live in the area, or give visitors easy access to directions, contact info and other information.

Following our discussions, I purchased an appropriate and available domain name (angelqueen.org) and some server space with a host that I had used for some of my other projects. Afterward, when we contacted the Society for guidance on content, we discovered that they weren't overly enthusiastic about third parties creating websites that could in theory or in fact be construed as affiliated with the SSPX. Their reasoning was that third parties creating and controlling the content of websites associated with the SSPX would have varying degrees of skill, formation and temperament and that such websites being created in the Society's name would not be under the Society's purview. Given that, Sue and I thought it best to forgo the idea of creating a site for the chapel. The Society's website policy is actually quite well thought out and understandable, so there were no hard feelings whatsoever on our part. Being that our idea of a chapel website was not to be, I then placed a graphic of Our Lady up against a black background as a placeholder and left Angelqueen.org be.

Around that time, I and many other now current Angelqueen members participated in another forum that had quite an active traditional contingent. Unfortunately, it conversely had an active anti-traditional contingent which included a liberal Protestant moderator who on one hand would claim he had nothing against traditionalist Catholics, while one the other would pursue and  harshly sanction them. Despite the adversity there, we still managed to accomplish good works for Our Lord. Many of us received private messages from visitors who either discovered tradition or reverted/converted to the Catholic faith as a result of the apologetics and debates they read there.

The vitriol and poor formation of our detractors when contrasted with advocacy of the unchanging faith created a frustrating stumbling block for them, which in turn caused them to out of frustration become more vitriolic and poorly formed.  We were called schismatics, heretics, Protestants, etc. Some without jest, seriously advocated that we should be subject to physical violence or torture. Meanwhile, their sympathetic moderator allowed such nonsense to continue unabated, while finding every excuse to ban or sanction the traditionalist posters.

After listening to these types constant, un-moderated attacks from one particular poster ("Blackelk" for those who know him) whose posts had reached an excessively shrill level, I had decided that I had had enough. I informed him and a few others, that every time I found him acting in an un-Christian manner toward trads, I would make some positive improvement to the Angelqueen site, which at the time was still exactly as Sue and I had left it - a simple blank page with a graphic or Our Lady in the center.

Blackelk would call a trad a schismatic, I would mark-up a few keywords for the search engines. He would rage at the "Lefebvrites", I would add a page with info on where to  find local Latin Masses. He would curse us, I would add the Rosary. It seemed there was always something constructive to do counteract his nonsense - submit to search engines, add another link, create more graphics. Before long, Blackelk had involuntarily managed to create an entire online Catholic resource center using only his very large mouth.

I finally added the forum because so many traditionalists and so many of our friends were getting run off or banned from the other site. Two of those who were banned included Dr. Kopp and I after we wrote an article revealing that a poster there - screen-name "sinkspur'" - was an online clergy impersonator posing as an active permanent deacon in the diocese of Fort Worth, when in fact he was a layman with no faculties whatsoever.

The vast majority of the traditional/orthodox/conservative Catholics from the other forum - which has now gone virtually fallow - wound up taking residence at AQ. As time went on, many "flocks" of posters would migrate from other forums to AQ telling of experiences similar to ours. Our membership list began growing steadily and at a progressively faster pace. We began receiving hits from networks such as the Vatican, the US Congress and other places of influence. Priests, apologists and journalists were joining. We started to attract more relevant interviews, more interest in the online media and more well known members, many using their real names. Whether using their real names or a screen name, there are quite a recognized people whom for whatever reason, wanted to join the conversation on the AQ forum. On several occasions, journalists have opened accounts to comment on their own articles. 

The Angelqueen forum has grown into an active, relevant online community where traditional Catholics can exchange information and keep abreast of News and issues regarding the faith while participating in a venue where traditionalists exist at relative peace with each other. We are also having an influence in Catholic cyberspace. As of the time of this article, AQ is not only the most visited traditional Catholic website on earth, but it also is beginning to surpass many mainstream Catholic sites, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) News site.

Not bad considering our humble beginnings. Praise God.