Course update & Italy mission research
Off to Brescia, Roma
Hello subscribers,
Five of the twelve posts in our course are now live! Today, we planned to launch the sixth—the most important one in our mission: The Material and Spiritual Consequences of Fiat Money. This post is the last one before we teach Bitcoin’s solution; however, it’s not ready yet, as I’ve been called to Italy next week. I’ll be testing the Bitcoin mission on the ground, first at La Conferenza Bitcoin Italiana in Brescia, then later in Rome.
Updates below.
Next post preview
Here’s a slide from post six that’s ready:
The Catechism and Aquinas demand a stable currency, so the persistent loss of purchasing power in the dollar is a problem—it’s the chief currency that all fiat currencies mimic. Stay tuned to learn why this problem is so pervasive and damaging soon.
Prophetic prayer in New York
A month ago, we were in New York for an Encounter Ministries conference and, unplanned on our part, to attend a Monday evening tavern chat with the founder of My First Bitcoin. (We use My First Bitcoin’s open-source course as the backbone for our Catholic Bitcoin course.) Both events were incredibly fruitful. As I was discerning prophetic prayer at the conference, I received three signs about Italy, two of them specifically about Rome. I wasn’t sure what they meant, so I consulted two priests at the conference and left the signs open for further discernment.
When I returned to Toronto, I came home to a letter from the Canadian government that I had been waiting for for fourteen months. This “search of citizenship records” letter would confirm or deny the validity of my family’s by-blood right to Italian citizenship, a project I’ve been working on for over five years. The result confirmed the validity. I was stunned! Then days later, I saw that Italy significantly changed their citizenship laws, the same day I received the first sign. The validity is now unclear and the Italian Parliament appears to be amending the law before it becomes permanent.
This Italian Bitcoin conference in Brescia had been on my radar for months, but I had decided to not go because I was tired from March travel and course work. Until last Saturday, when I remembered that citizenship through residency is guaranteed for my case. I knew this years ago, but put it aside. But now, with a mission that fits in Italy, and the bitcoin savings to qualify for an investor visa that permits work and has no requirements on time spent in country, it now makes sense to pursue the visa. Maybe the Lord wishes that I serve in the heart of the Church, the land of my paternal forefathers. So I’m going to the conference (more on why below), and then to Rome after to see if there’s more to those Rome messages.
Brescia: Meet the Italian Bitcoin community
The investor residency visa process takes six months or so, and I hope to invest in a company furthering the Bitcoin mission. The first step is to talk to the Bitcoin community to learn about what’s happening in Italy. After that, if it makes sense, I’ll engage our lawyer, pick a company to invest in, and the rest is straightforward. Starting now means that by late 2025 or early 2026 I’d be able to work in Italy, and can even form a non-profit.
The conference is called BitCare Forum ‘25. Their website tells me to expect “More than a thousand bitcoiners, forty speakers, three stages, and a sea of emotions.” Looks great!
Back in Brescia
In Brescia, I’ll be staying with a priest and his community, whom I met last October. A friend I met in Mexico introduced us, and my Mom and I visited because we were staying nearby in Verona. After he picked us from the train before Sunday Mass, he approached his parking spot, and I saw a storefront with a big beautiful Bitcoin sign over the door. A super Italian aesthetic Bitcoin sign. I never got a picture, and wondered if I’d be back. It appears the Bitcoin capital of Italy is in Brescia… I am indeed going back.
This priest happens to be running a pilgrimage the day of the conference. I hope to participate in some of it!
Rome, and along the way
I’ll head to Rome after to see if there’s more to those Rome-specific prayer messages, and to do similar preparatory / exploratory activity for future Catholic Bitcoin education work on the ground.
I have no place to stay as of right now. If you have suggestions for congregations or parishes to visit/stay with in Rome, or on the journey from Brescia, please reach out. Our goal is to talk to parishes, congregations, and lay Catholics in Italy to learn about what’s needed. I am also happy to share our course—by that time, parts 1-6 will be live, and parts 7-12 will be done in draft format.
Moral Money book
Outside of NGU Missions, Eric Sammons announced the pre-order for his new Catholic Bitcoin book, Moral Money, this week. You can pre-order it from Sophia Institute Press. I was excited to read the summary because I was wondering how he was going to teach it. It looks lovely!
provided the cover testimonial. They are a non-profit dedicated to advancing and preserving bitcoin knowledge. Fun fact: fellow Catholic Pierre Rochard (whom we met last year, reviewed drafts of our course, and is featured in the first post) is co-founder.
Interesting note: someone chose to drop the word “Catholic” from an earlier draft of the title that Eric shared back in January:
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Please pray for us, and reach out should you have tips for Italia. Have a lovely rest of your weekend.
Ciao! E che Dio ti benedica!
God Bless brother!