In my last column I wrote a bit about the Catholic Communication Campaign that, in our diocese, is part of the National Combined Appeal taken up each January.
Part of the CCC funds stay right here in the diocese to assist Bishop Malloy in reaching out to the diocese through media and special projects like the Catholic Mass on television, Top of the Morning segments, Be Reconciled day and much more. And those projects are just part of the way our bishop and our diocese communicate what is going on in the diocese, and how the faith is nurtured and fed.
The Observer is another tool used here in the Rockford Diocese to inspire and inform Catholics. The Observer does not benefit from the Catholic Communications Campaign donations. And The Observer gets no funding from the annual Diocesan Appeal. So, as we approach Catholic Press Month, it is the time again when we ask diocesan Catholics to renew or begin their subscriptions to The Observer Catholic newspaper.
Our little staff brings you local photos, features, events, diocesan information along with columns of inspiration and faith instruction that you can not get anywhere else. Many of our diocesan priests help bring faith-rich content to our pages as they provide reflections each Lenten and Advent season.
Diocesan departments provide columns that rely on the stories of the Gospel and the teaching contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. So in every issue, whether you like to read Observer content on paper or on your phone, tablet or computer, we work to provide you with great articles and columns.
That is our theme for this year’s subscription drive … “The Observer: Where the greatest stories are told.” Our theme reflects our roots which are firmly planted in the Gospels, which contains all the greatest stories. Those stories and truths are what compel all the Catholics of this diocese to develop and serve in great ministries. Those Gospel stories compel young men and women to enter into the priesthood and religious life. The Gospels also compel the faithful to strive to serve the needy, work for social justice and live lives that make a difference in the world around them. That is what The Observer works to report. Everyone needs to consume good content and that’s what The Observer works to deliver to its readers … compelling content inspired by the Word of God.
If you are already a subscriber, thank you. If you can, encourage someone else to subscribe also or gift them with a subscription. And remember, every subscriber who provides an email address now can receive our newsletter in their inbox.
We encourage everyone to try a subscription whether it’s an online or mailed subscription.
As we observe February as Catholic Press Month, we invite you to celebrate with us in prayer, as Pope Leo XIV wrote in his January prayer, “May our faith grow in the encounter with you through your word, moving us from the heart to reach out to others, to serve the most vulnerable, to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life.”
Join us too in praying a prayer inspired by the patron saint of journalists, St. Francis de Sales, whose feast day is Jan. 24.
Almighty God,
Strengthen and direct, we pray,
the will of all whose work it is to write what many read,
and to speak where many listen.
May we be bold to confront evil and injustice:
understanding and compassionate of human weakness;
rejecting alike the half-truth which deceives,
and the slanted word which corrupts.
May the power which is ours, for good or ill,
always be used with honesty and courage,
with respect and integrity, so that when all here has been written, said and done,
we may, unashamed, meet Thee face to face.
Amen.
