|
The Catholic Weekly President and Executive Editor Accounting email our |
Proudly Serving the Michigan’s Catholic Faithful Since 1942!
MISSION STATEMENT
It is our goal to inform, educate and promote understanding about the Church at all levels, while providing a public forum for the exchange of ideas and opinion. As Authorized Diocesan Newspapers, The Catholic Weekly & Catholic Times serve as an available vehicle for each Bishop to communicate with parishioners and clergy locally, as well as on a wider scale.
ORGANIZATION HISTORY
By 1942 the then 34-year-old assistant pastor of Saginaw St. Andrew parish approached Bishop William Murphy about publishing a weekly Catholic newspaper for local parishes. Bishop Murphy was interested in the concept of a newspaper for his fledging diocese, but did not want “hard to come by” church funds to be put towards such a risky venture. The bishop granted Fr. O’Connor permission to publish a paper but made it clear that any financial losses would be his alone. On March 22, 1942, The Catholic Weekly newspaper debuted as the ‘Authorized Publication’ for the Diocese of Saginaw. Fr. O’Connor served as editor and energetic 28 year-old Fr. Eugene Forbes, assistant pastor at Saginaw SS. Peter and Paul, became his assistant editor. The two wrote copy, set up the pages and even sold advertising. The paper’s first base of operation was the sometimes damp basement of St. Andrew Church located at 612 N. Michigan Avenue in Saginaw. During this time of growth and expansion, several key staffers were added to the organization. Their presence would prove to have lasting effect. Bernard Sauve, not far removed from service in WWII, and then Marquette University, joined the Saginaw editorial staff in June of 1947 and immediately worked towards increasing the paper’s local coverage. With the success of the Saginaw enterprise clearly evident, Bishop Joseph H. Albers of Lansing began working with Fr. O’Connor to establish a newspaper for his diocese in the early 1950’s. An editorial and business office was opened in Flint, which contained the largest population and advertising base within the diocese. On August 1, 1954, Vol. 1, Issue 1 of The Catholic Weekly, Lansing appeared. As in Saginaw, Fr. O’Connor assumed the position of editor. Kenneth LaPorte, a Flint area advertising specialist, joined the Lansing CW staff at its inception and built a solid base of ad patrons. On March 1, 1956, Donald Moeller assumed responsibility as business manager for the Saginaw office. His loyalty, steady leadership and consistent concern for detail helped keep the papers on an even keel throughout his more than 33 years of leadership. The papers prospered throughout the fifties and sixties and regularly accumulated awards for excellence from the Catholic Press Association. The Saginaw office moved to a permanent home at 1520 Court Street in Saginaw, where it remains to this day. An example of the organization’s dedicated effort to deliver news of the day is evident through the example of Fr. O’Connor’s personal flight to Rome during Vatican II in order to provide in-depth coverage of that historic event from a local perspective. This was a costly effort for a small publication that could have easily relied on news service coverage. For nearly 50 years, he served as actual owner, as well as executive editor of the papers, keeping readers informed of happenings at all levels of our Catholic Church. A long battle with a debilitating ailment, later diagnosed as Parkinson’s Disease, led to Fr. O’Connor’s early retirement from active ministry in 1966. The disease slowly zapped his energy level and he became more reliant on the loyal group of dedicated staffers he had assembled to keep his beloved papers going. As had occurred in the late 1930’s with the establishment of the Lansing and Saginaw Dioceses, enormous growth of the Church throughout Michigan was necessitating the need for additional reorganization. In 1971, when two new dioceses were created in the Michigan Province, The Catholic Weekly again expanded. Newly installed Gaylord Bishop (now Cardinal) Edmund Szoka, requested an edition of the paper for his fledging diocese. Responsibility for The Catholic Weekly, Gaylord was given to Saginaw office staffers, who received great help from the diocesan office of communications and the parishes themselves. Upon Fr. O’Connor’s death in 1989, and for the next three and one-half years, the papers continued to publish under the direction of Fr. Clarence Smolinski, a Gaylord diocesan priest, and the O’Connor estate. During this critical time, the Lansing edition of The Catholic Weekly, which been run as a separate business entity from the Saginaw operation and had struggled financially for several years, folded. Lansing Bishop Kenneth Povish, a long-time writer and contributor to all editions of the paper, approached the Saginaw office about the possibility of publishing a new paper for his diocese. On November 22, 1991, six weeks following the demise of its predecessor, The Catholic Times was born. A new office for the paper was opened in Flint with high hopes for a promising future. In November of 1992 The Catholic Weekly, along with its new sister publication, were separated from the O’Connor estate and incorporated into a non-profit corporation christened G.L.S. Diocesan Reports, Inc. The letters stand for Gaylord, Lansing and Saginaw, the three dioceses for which the organization publishes newspapers. Although quite an uncommon notion for diocesan newspapers to not be owned and operated by the Church itself (there are only about a half dozen similar relationships nationwide), the arrangement has worked quite well here in Michigan for 60 years. While reflective of each diocese they serve, the organizational set up has provided each edition with a bit of journalistic independence uncommon to many Catholic publications. Throughout its sixty years The Catholic Weekly organization has left a distinct imprint on each of the dioceses it serves. Each edition is unrivaled as a complete historical document for the dioceses of Gaylord, Lansing and Saginaw. Besides printing the news of each week “from a Catholic perspective,” each publication has also served as an energetic promoter of such other Catholic institutions as the Catholic Missions, St. Paul Seminary, Queen of Angels Retreat House in Saginaw and St. John Student Parish/Center in East Lansing. The organization’s long association with such dedicated writers as Bishop Kenneth Povish, Fr. Isidore Mikulski, Msgr. Eugene Forbes and Fr. Charles Irvin (among others), is also a point of great pride. Their talents have continuously helped to elevate each issue in which their contributions have appeared. Today Mark A. Myczkowiak, a Catholic Weekly employee who has worn many hats since 1981, serves as president of the corporate board of directors and general manager of the papers. A pastoral advisory committee, made up of one clergy representative appointed by the bishops of the diocese, also plays an important part in the direction of the papers. Editorial and advertising offices for The Catholic Weekly continue to be located at 1520 Court St. in Saginaw. This location also serves as the corporate, business and circulation offices for all editions. The Catholic Times has an editorial and advertising office at 104 1/2 E. Main St. in Flushing, Michigan. The staff of the papers has initiated many changes during
the past several years to update and improve its service to each diocese,
its parishes and people. Response from pastors and other readers to improvement
efforts has been generally favorable. Total circulation for all editions
today stands at just over 18,000 paid copies, which has remained constant
for over a decade. The reorganization as a true non-profit organization,
allows that evolution to be continuous, while at the same time providing
more solid Brett McLaughlin serves as executive editor for all editions.
Steve Sirianni is managing editor of The Catholic Weekly, Saginaw. Kathleen
Socha, a 28-year staff veteran who broke in as assistant to Barney Sauve,
is editor of the Gaylord edition. The Catholic Times editor Erin Oakley
is assisted by Julie Root. As we head into our seventh decade of serving Catholic faithful throughout Michigan, we pledge our utmost efforts to report the news of the day from a faith perspective. More importantly, we re-dedicate ourselves to spreading the “good news” — the teachings of Jesus — and promoting understanding about all levels of our Catholic Church. That is our stated mission and our aim. |
