Happy Catholic Press Month! 

 

The United States is very blessed to have a wide variety of Catholic publications, magazines, newsletters, pamphlets as well as Catholic radio, television, podcasts, YouTube channels and apps. We also have the Catholic News Service supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

 

And for the past 111 years, all of us in the Catholic Press have been supported, recognized and received great training in our work from the Catholic Press Association, now known as the Catholic Media Association.

 

I am honored and proud to say that The Observer and El Observer are long-time members of the Catholic Media Association, and both have been recognized more than 100 times for excellence in writing, photography and design. We are also very proud to say that every member of our full-time, part-time and freelance staff has been recognized nationally for their work. But the accolades and our publishing history are not the reasons we celebrate. 

 

The awards for excellence and longevity are also not the reasons we ask for your subscription each year at this time.

 

Your subscription and readership is about something more. So too, is our work to bring you The Observer about something more.

 

As the apostles began their proclamation of Jesus Christ as Savior of the world, their witness revolved around a simple and direct message that focused on the person of Jesus, his powerful witness and message, the miraculous deeds He worked, and the transformation of lives as they believed in Him and

became His witnesses to the world. 

 

Saints Peter and Paul provide a number of examples of kerygmatic preaching in the Acts of the Apostles. They were basically the first religion reporters. They brought back the message of Jesus to their audience and they would share their first-hand, credible information, witness, and yes, inspiration. 

 

And here we are, centuries later, repeating that same good news and that same proclamation. The pages of The Observer report how God’s message is at work in our Catholic Church and the people who practice it. Our work is to help Catholics know and understand their faith, their diocese and to share the activities of all the God-inspired work and activities in our all our diocesan parishes, schools and Catholic ministries and organizations.

 

The Observer exists to report, explain, proclaim, and remain centered on the work of the local and universal Catholic Church and all that Jesus left to us in the life-changing messages of the Gospels. Our content seeks to support and fortify the inspiration we receive in our parishes through the holy Mass even when some of those Gospel messages aren’t easy for us to live. 

 

As Catholics we work together to achieve a devout life. And that’s why we need Catholic news and publications — to connect our life outside the Church to the inspiration we receive inside it. The Observer helps you connect to the work of the Church in the world minus the lens of pop culture or politics. 

 

We are privileged to do this work. We do it for you with your help, and we do it for less than a tank of gas. For $28 a year, a price that has not increased since 2002 — The Observer shares what began with Christ … “In the beginning was the Word, And the Word was with God, And the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

 

As The Observer has expanded and changed from simple ink and paper to vibrant images and digital delivery, our prayer is that our work through this publication is still a welcome visitor in your home. We hope you continue to value your diocesan publication as another tool that reinforces your worship and inspires you and your family toward a devout life. 

 

“When God created the world He commanded each tree to bear fruit after its kind; and even so He bids Christians, — the living trees of His Church, — to bring forth fruits of devotion, each one according to his kind and vocation. A different exercise of devotion is required of each …”

 

These are the words and instruction of our patron St. Francis de Sales. Here at The Observer we use our vocation as Catholic journalists to help inspire your connection to God and the Church allowing your own devotion to constantly bloom. 

 

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