Over the past two years, donors have given $37,500 to preserve diocesan history through Arkansas Catholic’s Guardian Angels campaign.
The campaign has made it possible for the newspaper to digitize 21 years of The Southern Guardian and The Guardian, predecessors to Arkansas Catholic.
The newspapers were electronically scanned and made searchable and are now available by clicking “archives” on the Arkansas Catholic website.
In 2010 Arkansas Catholic launched the campaign as a part of the centennial of the diocesan newspaper in 2011. Since that time, parishes, religious orders, businesses and individuals have donated money to support the project.
The years of 1911 to 1931 have been preserved from the last remaining fragile bound volumes so the newspaper is focusing on getting 1932 to 2001 digitized over the next few years. Digital editions of the newspaper from 2002 to the present are available through a subscription to Arkansas Catholic Online.
Arkansas Catholic is kicking off its spring appeal to continue to preserve more volumes of The Guardian.
The campaign’s five “circles” of giving recognize donors for their contributions:
- Angel Circle: $25 to $99 donation
- Archangel Circle: $100 to $499
- Cherubim Circle: $500 to $999
- Seraphim Circle: $1,000 to $9,999
- Annunciation Circle: $10,000 or more
Arkansas Catholic readers are encouraged to fill out the Guardian Angels envelope inserted in this issue and make a contribution. Donors can sponsor a year in honor of a pastor, family member or parish or in memory of someone for as little as $500.
For more information, click here or call (501) 664-0125.
