Presenting a case for our Catholic media
Pope Francis has recently praised what he called the “mission” of journalism. “Your mission is to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less afraid of it and look at others with greater awareness, and also with more confidence.”
Nov 27, 2021
Pope Francis has recently praised what he called the “mission” of journalism. “Your mission is to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less afraid of it and look at others with greater awareness, and also with more confidence.”
While the words of the Holy Father are encouraging, we do not know what the year 2022 holds for us as a Catholic media organisation. There is still uncertainty as to whether the HERALD will remain an e-paper or whether we can look forward to resuming our printing.
On World Communications Day in 1971, the Vatican issued a lengthy statement which proclaimed, “It is hard to see how people can keep in touch with what is happening in the Church without the Catholic press. Neither can people keep a Catholic attitude towards what happens in the world without the help of commentaries on the news written in the light of Christian principles.”
Catholics, especially laity, need more than the parish bulletin and a Sunday homily to be formed in the faith. They need their own media. Newspapers and magazines have long filled that purpose in the Church, letting Catholics know about the faith experiences of others, notifying them of upcoming events and reporting on recent occurrences.
Some may argue that the heyday of newspapers is over, but the HERALD is not simply a newspaper — it’s a publication that (pre-pandemic) was printed on newsprint and mailed to approximately 15,000 households throughout the country and abroad. It is also an instrument of social media with an active website and a strong presence on Twitter and Facebook. Local news, complemented by stories of national and international interest, are communicated from the unique perspective of our Catholic faith. Commentaries and editorials, such as this one, address contemporary challenges facing the universal Church as well as the Church here at home.
There is no question that the Church must continuously examine the effectiveness of its instruments of communication. Perhaps we need to think out of the box like St Francis de Sales, the patron of journalists and the Catholic press. His method of evangelisation was straightforward — he wrote tracts on various aspects of Catholic teaching, had them printed and shoved them under people’s doors. He used a new technology to deal with new problems.
Those who say that print media is a relic of the past are partly correct. Newspapers will never again serve as the predominant means of communication for society or for the Church. Still, there is a strong case to be made for the HERALD. We can still take full advantage of the opportunities we now have to inform, inspire, and invite our sisters and brothers to experience the joy of the Gospel. In this process, we believe it would be a serious mistake to abandon the primary instrument of communication available to us today, our local Catholic newspaper.
Do we have good reasons for praying that our weekly newspaper will remain a vital part of our local Church’s ministry for many years to come? We certainly do.
Pope Francis said, “We need media capable of building bridges, defending life, and breaking down walls, visible and invisible, that prevent sincere dialogue and truthful communication between individuals and communities. We need media that can help people, especially the young, to distinguish good from evil, to develop sound opinions based on clear and unbiased presentation of facts, and to understand the importance of working for justice, social concord and respect for our common home.”
The HERALD aims to be this type of media. We’re keenly aware of the many obstacles we will face, and we know firsthand the hard work that will be required. We also know from our many years of experience that the work of communicating the Gospel is well worth the sacrifices it demands!
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