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The Catholic Spirit
The Catholic Spirit print edition on June 9, 2016
TypeBi-weekly newspaper
Owner(s)Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Founder(s)John Ireland, James Michael Reardon
PublisherArchbishop Bernard Hebda
EditorJoe Ruff
Staff writersRebecca Omastiak, Dave Hrbacek, Barb Umberger
Founded1911
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersSt. Paul, Minnesota
Circulation54,000 (as of 2024)[1]
ISSN2694-3751
OCLC number34062019
Websitethecatholicspirit.com
Free online archives(1911–1922)
(1990–present)

The Catholic Spirit is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Founded by John Ireland in 1911 as an 8-page weekly named The Catholic Bulletin and with a subscription base of 2,500, it was renamed to The Catholic Spirit in 1996 and currently circulates to 54,000 households in the Twin Cities area twice per month.

History

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The Catholic Bulletin on February 7, 1914, breaking the news of the erection of the Diocese of Spokane

In 1866, a small newspaper called The Northwestern Chronicle began to be published by John Crosby Devereux in Saint Paul, Minnesota. While not originally an official Catholic newspaper, it received the support of Bishop Thomas Grace who used it to communicate to the clergy. Grace also granted free rent in a building in St. Paul's Catholic block. However, facing financial difficulties a decade after its founding, the Chronicle was purchased by Coadjutor bishop of Saint Paul John Ireland for $2,000 ($57,225 in 2023). After settling his debts, Devereaux netted a total of $1,800 ($51,503 in 2023) from his ten years of work running the paper. Never recovering from its financial difficulties and incurring debts which Bishop Ireland personally had to cover, the Chronicle was sold to the Catholic Citizen newspaper in Milwaukee in 1900.[2][3]: 172–173 

In 1911, then-Archbishop John Ireland founded The Catholic Bulletin with Father James Reardon as its first editor. Reardon initially resisted the appointment, stating that he had no training in journalism.[4] The first issue was published on January 7, 1911 with a run of 2,500 papers sent to paying subscribers.[5] Archbishop Diomede Falconio, apostolic delegate to the United States, sent a congratulatory letter. The paper served not only as the official paper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul, but of all the dioceses in the Province of Saint Paul save one.[3]: 395 

The 8-page paper was published weekly.[6] Ireland insisted that the paper not be laudatory of his person and that it be non-political and non-controversial; he simply wanted an "interesting, well-written and well-edited Catholic newspaper".[3]: 396  Due to Ireland's connections, the Bulletin had scoops on the erection of the Diocese of Spokane and the election of Benedict XV, publishing the stories before any other American newspapers.[note 1] Reardon established a paid subscribership of 25,000 by the time he relinquished the top job at the paper in 1922.[4][6]

After Reardon was named pastor of the Basilica of Saint Mary in 1922, Father John Volz was appointed as editor. Volz served until 1925, when a layman, Bernard Vaughn, was named editor. Vaughn served as editor until 1957, when he suffered a heart attack.[6][7]

In 1957, Bernard Casserly, a reporter for the Minneapolis Star, became the editor. As the editor during the turbulent times following the Second Vatican Council, what Casserly chose to cover was often controversial. At one point in the 1960s, a priest cancelled 1,600 of his parishioners' subscriptions over a front-page photo of nuns dancing; in response, Casserly remarked that he considered it important to cover what was going on in the Church.[8] In 1961, the paper had a circulation of 40,000.[4] Casserly retired as editor in 1982.[8]

Robert Zyskowski was the editor from 1986 to 1999.[9] The newspaper underwent a design and name change in 1996 to become The Catholic Spirit.[10] Zyskowski became associate publisher in 1998 and helped pull the newspaper out of $2.1 million in debt.[11] In 1991, circulation was 30,000; by 1998, it had increased to 86,000.[12][13]

Mike Krokos was editor from 1999 to 2004.[14] Circulation in 2000 was around 88,000.[15] Joe Towalski was editor from 2005 to 2014. By 2010, circulation had decreased slightly to 85,000.[16] Jessica Trygstad was interim editor from 2014 to 2015.[17] Circulation in 2015 was around 71,000.[18] Maria Wiering was editor from 2015 to 2022, after which she left for OSV News. Joe Ruff, a former reporter and editor with the Associated Press, became editor in 2022.[19][20]

Publication

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The Catholic Spirit publishes twice monthly.[21] Readers may subscribe directly or receive a free subscription subsidized by their parish.[22] As of 2024, circulation is around 54,000.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ It is unclear how the Bulletin scooped the election of Benedict XV given that he was elected on a Thursday, the Bulletin did not publish until Saturday, and other papers had reported it by then. However, the scoop of the erection of the Diocese of Spokane ("Diocese of Spokane". The Catholic Bulletin. February 7, 1914) is well-attested to: "Spokane Center of New Diocese, Catholic Church". Spokane Chronicle. February 11, 1914.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation". The Catholic Spirit. October 10, 2024. p. 4. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Wright, Scott (Winter 2005). ""The Northwestern Chronicle" and the Spanish-American War: American Catholic Attitudes Regarding the "Splendid Little War"". American Catholic Studies. 116 (4): 55–56. ISSN 2161-8542. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Reardon, James Michael (1952). The Catholic Church in the Diocese of St. Paul : from earliest origin to centennial achievement : a factual narrative. Saint Paul, Minnesota: North Central Publishing Company.
  4. ^ a b c "Catholic Bulletin Is 50 Years Old". The Minneapolis Star. January 7, 1961. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Ireland, John (January 7, 1911). "Letter of the Most Reverend Archbishop". The Catholic Bulletin. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "The Catholic Bulletin / Catholic Spirit". Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Bernard Casserly Named Catholic Bulletin Editor". The Minneapolis Star. September 20, 1957. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Cohen, Ben (September 20, 2008). "Bernard Casserly kept Catholics in the know". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "Catholic Spirit editor named associate publisher". The Catholic Spirit. March 4, 1999.
  10. ^ Zyskowski, Bob (December 2, 2010). "Spirit cites century of keeping Catholics well-informed". The Catholic Spirit.
  11. ^ "Bob Zyskowski to retire after more than four decades in Catholic press". Catholic Herald. May 13, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation". The Catholic Spirit. October 3, 1991. p. 5.
  13. ^ "Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation". The Catholic Spirit. October 1, 1998. p. 24.
  14. ^ Capecchi, Christina (December 16, 2004). "Catholic Spirit editor Mike Krokos steps down, takes job in Indiana". The Catholic Spirit.
  15. ^ "Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation". The Catholic Spirit. October 5, 2000. p. 2.
  16. ^ "Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation". The Catholic Spirit. October 7, 2010. p. 2A.
  17. ^ "News Notes - June 19, 2014". The Catholic Spirit. June 18, 2014.
  18. ^ "Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation". The Catholic Spirit. October 8, 2015. p. 4A.
  19. ^ "From intern to editor: Wiering returns to The Catholic Spirit". The Catholic Spirit. January 8, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  20. ^ "Ruff to lead The Catholic Spirit; Wiering takes position with OSV". The Catholic Spirit. September 28, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Print publication dates". TheCatholicSpirit.com. The Catholic Spirit.
  22. ^ "Subscribe". TheCatholicSpirit.com. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
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