Jack:

I know this is your hypothesis, but is there any support elsewhwere for the idea that these items are put in mailings to prevent shredding or ruin your shredder?

I share your irritation, but am unconvinced as to that being their purpose.

Jack,

My guess is that a lot of "little old ladies" who are devout Catholics will be swayed by a religious icon such as you received. I doubt they own shredders or throw any of their mail away unopened.

You might say it's analgous to receiving a coupon in the mail from Les Schwab for a free tire rotation. It gives the recipient a sense of connection to the plea for business or a donation.

I doubt there is anything about shredders involved at all here.

You're naive. These fundraising campaigns are big, big business. There may not even be a Sister Patricia. Those metallic objects are there to make sure you open the envelope.

If you want to bring me nearer to God, the traditional holy card will be fine, thanks.

I HATE it when I am sent objects (like the rosary or gum-backed printed return address labels with my info on them, etc.) I am sent something I don't want, in hopes that guilt will make me pony up some bucks.

And have you ever tried to get off of mailing lists after you've cancelled a magazine subscription? One and a half years later, I'm STILL getting "won't you renew your subscription" pleas. Ugh. I hate a hard sell,and appealing to my guilt just makes me angry because it's so intrusive.

Jack,

I'm probably going to get court-martialed or have to walk the plank for this, but you sometimes remind me of Capt. Queeg (Humprey Bogart) of the Caine Mutiny.

"That nun knew she would wreck my shredder and I want to know who she is..."

... I got the same mailing... same cross... last spring I was sent a rosary too....

Dude, I just had to websearch the happy Sister, and there she's got her pitcher and evr'thang, right there on the happy Covenant House LLC Incorporated Holding Company website. Looks like her outfit helps "32,000" kids every year around the world. None around here, of course.

Maybe her pitcher is like the ones in The Onion. Hard to say. It certainly is blank and shiny like fake people in The Onion. Thing is, she doesn't look like someone who worries atall about anybody's shredder but her own. The whole thing definately looks like an industrial cash extraction machine.

Other thing is: all those happy, metal cross-shaped objects -- if they're getting mailed out to the proud, white-haired benefactors of the "32,000" -- must be cheaply produced indeed; after all, costly charity chatchkes cut into one's profit margin. Probably made by heathens in the massive factories of a Communist nation. No offense to them, I'm sure.

Amen. And save the children, er, the shredders. Or whatever.

Despite the apparent irony of a Catholic looking entity focused on gathering huge clusters of vulnerable and confused children for a safe place to wash up and sleep, it sure looks to me like "Sister Trica" isn't anymore fictitious than, say, Cheney or Osama.

Take a look: http://www.covenanthouse.org/stc_bio.html

As well, if you take a look at the annual reports, you'll see lots informative stuff, like 2004 contributions of about $144M. The list of foundations and other contributors is about as large as the population of Seaside. Can they all be dupes and suckers?

http://www.covenanthouse.org/about_anreport.html

[Posted as indicated; restored later.]