As we ring in the New Year, Bishop James P. Powers is deciding how change will come to the Superior Catholic Herald. Our current financial model is unsustainable, so we staff members are meeting with department heads and appointees from the Diocese of Superior and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which governs our media organization, to discuss transitions.
There are a number of possible outcomes, including moving to a magazine, switching to a monthly publication, focusing on digital communication or seeking out some other means of relaying information from the bishop to his flock.
As we study this, I want to move the lens away from Superior and into your communities. Some parishes may have ties with local newspapers, submitting photos of events or donations. Maybe a reporter pops in once in a while to cover a story. Or, perhaps you know a reporter or editor or a staff member worships at your church.
All these scenarios represent an opportunity to heed Bishop Powers’ call to move this diocese from Maintenance to Mission and reach out in a world where many are lost. If you need evidence of this, look at the crime articles and courthouse news. It’s a sad parade of addiction, mental illness, abuse and despair.
As someone who worked at a community paper and served as a regional editor for a statewide paper, I want to offer suggestions to help everyone – parishes, individuals, the diocese and local news outlets – to return some of the witness of Christian life to the secular media. One of the first ways to do that is to share what is happening in your church. Your parish may be doing this already, or they may not. Either way, here are my tips for moving the news beyond church walls.
Build relationships. If your parish doesn’t have much contact with the local press, get in touch. Buy a subscription and advertise events. Supporting them will make them more willing to support you. Reach out to editors or reporters. And – I cannot stress this enough – don’t bash your local “rag,” as my dad used to call it. The health of your newspaper is the health of your community, financially and culturally.
Submit candid photos. We print posed group photos, check-passing photos and even poor-quality photos – we are more interested in content than journalistic perfection – but many newspapers will not. At a parish event? Is there a bored teenager standing around, poking at a phone? That’s the person to draft for free photography. Teens and 20-somethings have grown up shooting photos, especially for social media, and they know how to do it. Send high-quality candid shots, and make sure to credit the photographer.
Tell your own story – submit well-written articles. Often, readers contact newspapers and ask them to send a reporter to cover something. But there’s a reason reporting is usually listed as one of the worst jobs – not only is the pay poor, but community members can be hostile (oh, the hate mail) and demanding, and reporters are expected to show up whenever and wherever. Your parish community will have more success getting printed if you submit stories yourself. No PR person around? Look for someone in the pews with writing experience or an interest in learning.
Share the witness of Christian life. When I was growing up, there were wedding and engagement announcements every week in the newspaper. Now, at least in the Eau Claire paper, there are none at all. Why are we no longer submitting pictures of couples standing in front of altars? Or, do you have a son or daughter who is joining a religious community or the priesthood? These are moments of Christian witness. If we want to promote these vocations, we must do it publicly.
Remember the cross. If there are tensions in your parish that make it into print, prioritize dialogue that is respectful and charitable to one another, your clergy and those with whom you disagree. I remember covering an ugly dispute in a Lutheran church over the retention of an employee – there was some very un-Christian behavior. Nothing makes religion look less attractive.
Finally, please keep Bishop Powers, our staff members and the diocese in your prayers as this process continues. May your 2026 be blessed with peace, love and joy!
