By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor
Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish in Clinton invited me to speak during Masses last weekend about the value of The Catholic Messenger and to encourage more parishioners to subscribe. I appreciated the invitation and the opportunity to visit the faith community I belonged to as a young reporter. This is the message I shared with parishioners:
Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about subscribing to The Catholic Messenger, our diocese’s news publication for 142 years. I encourage you to open our print or digital version and peruse the stories, photos and columns that educate, inform and inspire readers about our Catholic faith.
Each week, The Catholic Messenger provides coverage of diocesan, state, national and international news about the Catholic Church. We deliver that content in print and on digital platforms including our e-newsletter, The Catholic Messenger Express.
While The Messenger reflects the life of the Church throughout the world, its emphasis is on diocesan news, parishes, parishioners and their opinions. This week’s issue, for example, features a story about six parishes in our diocese embarking on a faith formation journey to pass on their Catholic faith to the next generation.
One of our perennially popular features is priest and deacon assignments, which appear in this week’s issue — 17 priests and 2 deacons are involved in the changes! Other diocesan stories feature a growing parish breaking ground for an addition to its church, an ongoing series on parish vibrancy and a small photo gallery of “Eclipse-watching” from parishes around the diocese.
Also in this week’s issue are a story and editorial on Caitlin Clark, who is Catholic, and her relationship with her teammates on the University of Iowa women’s basketball team — the Hawkeye Nation!
Father Thom Hennen’s Question Box column is another must-read feature of The Catholic Messenger. This week he responds to a question about the life of the Easter Paschal candle.
State, national and international stories cover an update on the Iowa Legislature, a new report on the U.S. Catholic population, the just-released Vatican document on the dignity of the human person, and the crisis in Gaza.
In recent months, we featured stories from Clinton including your parish welcoming Fransisco Esperanza and Sandy Brown to the Catholic Church, artist Kevin Cole connecting with students at Prince of Peace Catholic School and the state of Iowa recognizing the school’s voter registration efforts. Deacon Jeff Schuetzle wrote a Lenten reflection for The Catholic Messenger. I was in Clinton in February to join the Sisters of St. Francis for a fundraising walk for the Coldest Night of the Year to benefit individuals and families in need.
Diocesan Administrator Father Ken Kuntz, who served as your pastor for 12 years, says this about The Catholic Messenger: “Sharing and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ is vital in a world overwhelmed with mixed and confusing messages. The Catholic Messenger delivers a clear message — in print and digital media — that places the Good News within the context of the lived experience of the faithful.”
Father Ken is leading our diocese as we await announcement from the Vatican about the next Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport. We will keep you updated in The Catholic Messenger!
Like the six parishes striving to pass on the Catholic faith to the next generation, we hope to maintain The Catholic Messenger’s relevancy for future generations. We have created a Digital Brainstorming Team that meets monthly to discuss the most effective ways to reach young adults and families who are natives in the digital world. We welcome your ideas and suggestions! We want to continue to tell your stories; your voices matter to us! Your commitment to supporting The Catholic Messenger will help us do that.
Reflecting on the weekend, I am thankful to Father Khoa Le, Prince of Peace’s parochial vicar, Deacon Jeff Schuetzle, and other parishioners for their warm reception. Our staff welcomes other invitations to speak. It’s never too late to subscribe!
(Contact Editor Barb Arland-Fye at arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org)
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