Newspaper is now one of the nation’s largest Catholic weeklies
With the goal of advancing the pastoral priorities identified through parish “Speak Up” sessions, the Diocese of Camden has nearly tripled the circulation of its diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Star Herald, in order to reach more Catholic households in the six southern counties of New Jersey which comprise the diocese.
The circulation of the weekly newspaper increased from 26,500 of the diocese’s 125,000 households to more than 70,000 households beginning with the Sept. 14 issue.
The expanded circulation makes the Star Herald the largest Catholic weekly publication in the region and the tenth largest weekly diocesan newspaper in the nation, according to circulation data compiled by the Catholic Press Association (see attached chart). It also became the largest weekly newspaper in the South Jersey region.
The Catholic Star Herald is mailed to families who attend Mass on a regular basis, those who support the diocese’s Annual Appeal, families who have children enrolled in Religious Education and Catholic schools, as well as Religious Education instructors and members of school faculties, among others.
Bishop Joseph Galante asked parishes to provide the newspaper to parishioners as a form of outreach to the Catholic people, including those who do not attend Mass on a regular basis.
“Because the mission of sharing the riches of the Catholic faith with the people of the diocese is as pressing as ever, I have asked parishes to provide an ongoing means of keeping you, the Catholic people of this diocese, informed with local, national and world news from a Catholic perspective, presenting to you commentary and opinion on important issues of the day, and assisting you in your ongoing journey in the faith,” he wrote in the September 14 issue.
Bishop Galante also said he was taken by the feedback he received when he visited all 124 parishes of the diocese for Speak Up sessions in 2005 and 2006.
“As I visited each of the parishes in the diocese for “Speak Up” sessions, I heard first-hand…a real hunger in our people for a deepening of their religious faith, a desire to better understand Catholic teaching, worship and practice, and to more fully put that faith into action in our parishes, in our communities, and in our homes.”
“I also heard expressed great apprehension and even fear that apathy is undermining our Church and our society, that an increasing secularization of the culture is deadening our moral sensibilities, leading our youth astray, and corroding our standards of conduct and decency. I heard frustration that Catholic belief is often distorted, ignored or held up for ridicule in the media and in popular culture,” he wrote in the September 14 issue of the newspaper,” he said.
While parishes are billed for the newspaper subscriptions that are provided to parishioners, the cost to parishes is subsidized in part through advertising sales. In addition, parish families are encouraged to contribute to the support the Star Herald directly through quarterly collection envelopes.
“The advantage of the newspaper format is that it is one of the most cost-effective means of reaching out to the people of the diocese on a regular, frequent basis, particularly in a major metro media market like Philadelphia,” said Andrew Walton, spokesman for the diocese. “It’s the best format for timely, in-depth coverage and our advertisers appreciate the reach and frequency of publication. And, unlike web-based communication, which puts the onus on the user to consciously seek out an organization’s content on the web, a publication sent directly to the home each week greatly increases the possibility that the Church’s message actually will be seen,” he said.
While the Internet has posed new challenges to newspapers nationwide, a recent survey by Scarborough Research found that 81% of users of newspaper websites also read the printed edition of the newspaper. “It’s not a question of either/or, web or print,” said Walton. “We will have a presence on the web and in print, as crossover use reinforces the value of both.” Content from the print edition of the newspaper, as well as web extras, are posted on the Star Herald’s website at www.CatholicStarHerald.org.
Last year, Archbishop John Foley, former president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, noted the importance of diocesan newspapers. “[They] provide a means of continuing formation and education that cannot be matched by any other method.” Last month at a gathering of diocesan fiscal officers in Philadelphia, Archbishop Foley said, “[The diocesan newspaper] is a bond of unity and a source of information, education, of formation, of inspiration and of continuing Catholic identification.”
Pope Benedict XVI also said last year, “In the era of new communications technologies, these weeklies are even more important as they give a voice to the local communities that are not adequately represented in national publications.”
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The Catholic Star Herald, the first diocesan newspaper in New Jersey, was first published on May 11, 1951. A member of the Catholic Press Association and the Philadelphia Press Association, the newspaper has been recognized with awards from both associations, including the PPA’s 2002 Grand Award winner and its 2003 Award Winner for Public Service.
TOP WEEKLY DIOCESAN NEWSPAPERS*
FL Florida* Florida Catholic* 138,000 Weekly*
PA Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Catholic 111,000 Weekly
NY Rockville Centre Long Island Catholic 109,000 Weekly
CA Los Angeles The Tidings 95,000 Weekly
CO Denver Denver Catholic Register 90,199 Weekly
CA San Francisco Catholic San Francisco 86,000 Weekly
MN St Paul Catholic Spirit 84,111 Weekly
GA Atlanta Georgia Bulletin 77,700 Weekly
MO St Louis St Louis Review 75,000 Weekly
NJ Camden Catholic Star Herald 72,000 Weekly
*The Florida Catholic, which reaches 138,000 households weekly, is a statewide newspaper serving the six (6) Catholic dioceses of Florida.