Many regular Crux readers will know that this has been a year of transition for the company, and for me personally, following the death of my husband, Crux’s president and Editor in Chief, John L. Allen Jr., in January.

Since then, you’ve undoubtedly noticed changes to the site in terms of bylines, subscriptions, minor organizational changes to the homepage, and more.

As part of this time of transition, I have made the decision to step away from Crux and my role as the company’s Vatican correspondent.

This was not a light decision, but a very thoughtful and considered one, and it makes sense for me at this time in my life.

The natural follow-up question to this is: What’s next?

To be honest, I haven’t the slightest clue!

And that’s okay.

I look forward to figuring that out step-by-step, as my pugs, Augusto and Gelsomina, and I bask in the beauty and chaos of the Eternal City.

Elise Ann Allen on assignment in Iraq, 2018. She went to cover rebuilding efforts on the Nineveh Plains. (Image courtesy of Elise Ann Allen)

What I can say is that I am immensely grateful for my time at Crux – I began here in 2018 and have been privileged to work with some of the smartest, kindest, and most talented colleagues in the field today (you all know who you are).

Crux has been a family (quite literally for me), and it is the place where I was given a platform and the ability to discover, grow, and mature my professional and human potential, and for that I will always be grateful.

Never did I expect that it would also be the place where I met and fell in love with my husband, and that we would share not only our lives but passion for our work in what John would have described as this “strange, slightly disturbed” little universe of which we are a part.

I will also be forever grateful for the readers who came to Crux looking for “the best in smart, wired, and independent” Catholic journalism, and found themselves reading my articles, commenting on them, and at times, correcting typos.

Elise Ann Allen covering Pope Francis’s June 14, 2024, meeting with comedians. (Crux, file)

When John died in January, in my tribute to him I recalled our marriage in Key West, home to Mile 0, marking both the beginning of Highway 1 in the United States, and the end.

I said at the time that the moment for me marked “both the end of one phase of my life, and that of Crux, but the beginning of something new entirely; something painful but forged in hope and which I believe, while difficult, is opening to a bright and wonderful future. Thank you for making this journey with us.”

At this juncture, I want to repeat those words, because I feel more deeply than ever that there are good things ahead for myself and for Crux and the wonderful team leading it today.

John was singular – to quote a colleague commenting on one of John’s many spectacular pieces some time ago, “no one can do what he does.” Or did, as it were.

But John chose his successors because he trusted in their talent, instinct, and abilities, and so I can confidently say that Crux is in very good hands.

I hope that all Crux readers and supporters will continue to make the journey with this fine team as they take Crux to new heights, and with me, as I contemplate my next chapter. Thank you for being part of our family.