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Commentary

By Liz Quirin

God, the People and the Catholic Press

I just checked my email and received a message from the president of the Catholic Press Association. She sent out a “blast” to all of the Catholic newspapers: “What are you doing for Catholic Press Month?” Did you know February is Catholic Press Month? It comes at an odd time of year, according to my way of thinking. I want to tell our president that we are doing what we continue to do week in and week out — tell the stories of faith in this diocese and all over the world, just like we’ve been doing for more than 100 years.

Although it sometimes seems like I was here when they opened the doors, it’s only been 18 years, but they have been the most wonderful years ever. To use a dangerous absolute, I’ve never had a bad day on the job. In fact, it has rarely seemed like a job, more like an exciting adventure unfolding daily that I am lucky to be witnessing. I’ve met people who have been challenging, puzzling, faith-filled, arrogant and humble. I’ve seen those who love the church, given their lives to their ministry as well as those who have tarnished the church’s reputation and embarrassed all of us with their behavior. Mostly, I’ve met the gentle souls who reach out to others, who have impressed me with their holiness and their attitudes towards “the least” of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

This has been a wild, exciting, exhilarating and sometimes frustrating ride in the Catholic press. It’s one I continue to look forward to each and every day. While I know nothing stays the same, and interest in reading Catholic (or any) publication is waning, we will continue to publish this Catholic newspaper every other week without fail as long as we have advertisers who believe in Catholic readers and subscribers who support this newspaper not only with their subscriptions but with their emails, letters, faxes, telephone messages and in person.

Our staff occasionally sends messages to the parishes and Catholic schools asking for the names of people of faith, for recipes or other story ideas that will give everyone hope in a world where stories of hope and optimism don’t always make the news in any publication.

We thank you for responding to us, and just so you know, we won’t stop asking you for help. You are a lifeline between us and the people of the diocese.

In fact, if you’re reading this, we would really like for you to find somebody else to become a subscriber to The Messenger. If you’re a pastor or parish leader, we would like for you to tell your parishioners and anyone else who will listen, that reading a Catholic newspaper may provide insight into issues that concern them, give them a snapshot of another parish or their own, where people of faith continue to live the Gospel in their daily lives.

In the meantime, I’ll email the president of the Catholic Press Association that life is good and that we await every day to see what unbelievable surprises God reveals to us through our work at The Messenger.