There is no shortage of ways to get your news today. We open our phones and tablets or turn on the TV or radio and are instantly fed with bite-sized news, updates, and opinions abound served up ready for rapid consumption. We are tempted to “doom-scroll” through a crowded media landscape full of unverified noise and polarizing opinions driven by unclear values and motivations.
As Catholics, our faith in Jesus Christ is the lens through which we should look at the world. We are to be in this world, but not of it. Yet, rarely is Christ the lens used by most of the media we consume.
Faithful Catholic journalism is absolutely critical—perhaps more so in today’s rapid information age than ever before. More than just bringing you updates on our local diocese, parishes, schools, and ministries that most secular outlets ignore, quality Catholic journalism gives us a clear voice for truth, moral clarity, and a healthy focus on what truly matters in an age full of Screwtapesque distraction.
Professional Catholic reporting isn’t a lost art, but perhaps it’s an endangered species. This Rhode Island Catholic has been in faithful continuous print since 1875, but as Bishop Lewandowski notes in his letter to readers (page 1), sharply rising printing and postage costs make doing this important work more difficult.
I urge you to consider Bishop Lewandowski’s invitation. If you’re not yet a paying subscriber, starting your $40 subscription—or considering an additional voluntarily donation if it is within your means—goes a long way toward keeping alive these important faith-based perspectives in Rhode Island. We will all be better for having another 151 years of local Catholic professional journalism in our diocese.
Michael Kieloch is the director of communications and public relations for the Diocese of Providence.
