In September of this year, the World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadelphia. Pope Francis will be coming to join in this event, which calls people together from throughout the world to celebrate family life.
During February — which is observed as Catholic Press Month — the Catholic Herald has included information in each issue of the paper showing how the Catholic Herald focuses on families.
In each issue, we have talked about how our diocesan paper focuses on families. Included each week was a quote from Pope Francis’ Message for World Communications Day 2015, which also centers on families.
Unique resource
I believe the Catholic Herald provides a unique resource for all kinds of families: engaged and married couples, families with children, senior citizens, and those with unique members, such as the disabled.
This focus on families is one of the reasons why the Catholic Herald is different from many other secular publications. It is also why the Catholic Herald continues to be even more important than ever as a resource for Catholics.
Here are some of the ways our paper focuses on families:
• A regular Family Page with the “Your Family” column by Bill Dodds.
• A weekly Entertainment Page with information on family-friendly events, TV/radio highlights, and movie reviews to assist you in making viewing decisions.
• Catholic Marriage section published twice a year with articles on marriage preparation, marriage enrichment, and Natural Family Planning.
• Articles and pictures on couples married 50 years or more. Please note that we offer this service free of charge for golden jubiliarians.
• A monthly Senior section and quarterly Retirement Living section with suggestions on healthy living and aging gracefully.
The Catholic Herald partners with Catholic Charities, the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, and the Apostolate to the Handcapped — along with many other Church and community organizations — in offering information for families of all types.
Sorting out the truth
Individuals and families are bombarded by a plethora of news sources these days with the Internet and social media. Catholics need help in sorting out the truth.
This is especially important with regard to the truths of our Catholic faith and what is happening in the Church at all levels, from parishes and schools to the Vatican Curia.
The Catholic Herald reports on what is happening in our own diocese as well as on the state, national, and international levels. We also educate our readers on issues facing them today and what the Church teaches about those issues.
Often we give a fuller and even a different perspective than the secular media. One example was the recent March for Life in Washington, D.C.
There were hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers marching in our nation’s capital, yet there was very little coverage in the secular media. However, the Catholic Herald carried stories and photos from Catholic News Service as well as information on marchers from our diocese along with pro-life commentaries.
We also give a faith perspective on such issues as same-sex marriage, caring for creation, peace and justice, and concern for the poor and vulnerable.
The Catholic Herald focuses on families to help our readers in their everyday life and to provide them with the information they need to “help build a better future for the world in which we live,” as Pope Francis urges us.
Please continue to read the Catholic Herald cover to cover each week. Also visit our website at www.madisoncatholicherald.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.