{"id":16331,"date":"2023-05-22T14:21:45","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T19:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/?page_id=16331"},"modified":"2024-06-28T14:29:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T19:29:16","slug":"where-we-came-from","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/where-we-came-from\/","title":{"rendered":"Where We Came From"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"16331\" class=\"elementor elementor-16331\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6496395 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"6496395\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e21884c\" data-id=\"e21884c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86d2e83 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"86d2e83\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.22.0 - 26-06-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"398\" src=\"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AC-bless-this-press-1955-g.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-20165\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AC-bless-this-press-1955-g.jpg 500w, https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AC-bless-this-press-1955-g-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AC-bless-this-press-1955-g-480x382.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4fadb57 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"4fadb57\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b20dffc\" data-id=\"b20dffc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f9dea6f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f9dea6f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.22.0 - 26-06-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">Diocese of Little Rock\u2019s official weekly newspaper since 1911<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><em>Arkansas Catholic<\/em> has been the weekly newspaper\u00a0for the Diocese of Little Rock since 1911. Today it is published 46 times a year and\u00a0reaches\u00a0more than 9,000 households. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor is the publisher.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">From an office at 315 West Markham Street in downtown Little Rock, the first issue of\u00a0<em>The Southern Guardian<\/em>\u00a0was published on the Annunciation, March 25, 1911.<\/p><ul><li class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http:\/\/arc.stparchive.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click to read newspaper issues<\/a>\u00a0from 1911 through 2001, preserved with support from\u00a0the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/donate-guardian-angels\/\">Guardian Angels.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Since Bishop Morris arrived in 1906 from Tennessee, he had wanted to start a newspaper to educate the 22,000 Catholics in the state. He named vicar general Msgr. J.M. Lucey, a Confederate veteran of the Civil War and pastor of St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff, the founding editor.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The newspaper would be printed 52 times a year for an annual subscription price of $1.50.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">As sort of a stamp of approval, Bishop Morris included \u201cthe bishop\u2019s approval\u201d in the first issue and on the newspaper letterhead. \u201cThe Southern Guardian is the official organ of the Diocese of Little Rock, and I pray God that it may be an earnest champion in the cause of right, justice and truth and an ardent defender of the religion which we all love so well. I extend to it my blessing with the sincere hope that its career may be long and prosperous,\u201d it stated.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">After six months Msgr. Lucey stepped down, and Father Augustine Stocker, OSB, from New Subiaco Abbey was asked to oversee the weekly newspaper.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">After its first anniversary, the bishop wrote a letter to the manager, Victor Spalding, saying, \u201cThe Guardian will prove a great power for good in the diocese, and you need not to have any fear that your best efforts put forward in its behalf will go unrewarded.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The newspaper offices were moved to Fourth and Center streets in 1912, and in 1919 it moved to offices on West Second Street, where it remained until 1967.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1915 the word \u201cSouthern\u201d was dropped from the newspaper\u2019s name. Father George H. McDermott debuted his weekly column called \u201cQuestion Box.\u201d The column was written over the decades by different priests.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1920-1929<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">February officially became Catholic Press Month nationwide in 1923. The U.S. bishops adopted a resolution, urging, \u201call Catholic periodicals to become affiliated, as pay subscribers, to the NCWC (National Catholic Welfare Conference) Press Service, and all pastors to use in their parishes, schools and societies the various periodicals issued by the NCWC Press Department.\u201d The NCWC eventually became the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its press service was renamed Catholic News Service.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cThe Catholic Press deserves the enthusiastic and generous help of all Catholics. Their support should go beyond the mere subscription to the Catholic paper of the diocese. Catholics should try to understand the needs of the Catholic Press; they should acquaint themselves with its actual achievements, and with the opportunities that are at hand to develop still further its tremendous power,\u201d according to the bishops\u2019 statement.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Since that time, the diocesan newspaper has supported Catholic Press Month and encouraged Catholics to subscribe or renew their subscription during February.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1930-1939<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">When Father McDermott died in 1933, Msgr. J.P. Fisher and Father Harold Heagney followed as editors. Each of these men worked only part-time for the newspaper while handling other diocesan and parish duties. With the Depression in the 1930s, the newspaper never stopped being published but operated at a financial loss. The first full-time editor was Msgr. Thomas J. Prendergast in 1935. He was credited with transforming the struggling weekly newspaper into an award-winning publication over the next 23 years.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">For 30 years a standard part of the newspaper was a front-page column called \u201cQui Vive?\u201d which is French for \u201cWho Lives?\u201d Msgr. Thomas L. Keaney originated the column under the pseudonym \u201cThe Sentry.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Also in 1935, the newspaper made the bold move of reducing its subscription rate from $2 a year to $1. \u201cThe Guardian will accomplish its greatest good by entering the greatest possible number of Catholic homes in Arkansas,\u201d an article stated.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1940-1949<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Msgr. Prendergast organized the newspaper\u2019s first board of directors and opened up a full-time print shop.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Even after 30 years as the bishop, Bishop Morris continued to promote the importance of a Catholic press. In a front-page letter, he wrote in 1943, \u201cIt would please me immeasurably to have every parish in my diocese able to claim <em>The Guardian<\/em> is going into every Catholic home. Only then can we expect to have the full benefit of a diocesan newspaper; only then can we expect The Guardian to be strong and useful.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1946 the newspaper\u2019s founding publisher, Bishop Morris, died.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1950-1959<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1950 the first Catholic gift shop was opened by the newspaper. It provided supplemental income to operate the weekly publication. In 1954, William O\u2019Donnell joined the staff. O\u2019Donnell, a New Jersey native, had extensive newspaper experience in New England. When Msgr. Prendergast became a full-time pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche) in 1959, O\u2019Donnell took over the newspaper and became its first lay editor. When Msgr. Prendergast left as editor, he had led the newspaper for 23 years, nearly half of the newspaper\u2019s existence.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">O\u2019Donnell first broadcast his radio program \u201cThe Guardian Reporter\u201d on local and world Catholic news in 1955. It could be heard around the country each Saturday.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1960-1969<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1961, for its 50th anniversary, the newspaper\u2019s appearance changed dramatically by becoming a tabloid. More diocesan newspapers were choosing to publish in the smaller format.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In the Feb. 24, 1961, anniversary issue, Bishop Albert L. Fletcher wrote, \u201cA half a century is a long time for any Church activity began under the trying and sometimes precarious conditions of pioneer life. Possibly the life of a Catholic newspaper in a missionary country is more precarious than almost any other activity undertaken by the Church.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The Guardian Church Goods Store was sold to Edward Lipsmeyer in 1966. The next year the newspaper began to be printed by an offset process and closed its own print shop. The decision to shut down the diocese\u2019s old letterpress meant the print shop employees were laid off.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">When St. John Seminary closed, the newspaper offices moved from downtown to the old seminary along with the bishop\u2019s office and other diocesan offices in 1968. \u201cTypographical and composition work\u201d continued to be performed in an auxiliary office at Roto-Lith Publishers in North Little Rock.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1970-1979<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1972, the newspaper announced a reorganization of its business operations. The decision came after more than a dozen diocesan newspapers around the country were forced to quit publishing due to financial strain.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Father J. Gaston Hebert led the editorial advisory board that suggested several changes to be made. An editorial page was reinstated and the requirement to publish all local news was abolished in 1975.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1980-1989<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1981 O\u2019Donnell was ready to retire, and Karl Christ (pronounced \u201dkrist\u201d) was brought in to handle the day-to-day operations. Father Joseph Conyard, SJ, was named the managing editor in 1985, but Christ continued to oversee editorial operations.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">With the March 21, 1986, issue, the newspaper made another big change. It was renamed\u00a0<em>Arkansas Catholic\u00a0<\/em>in honor of its 75th anniversary. A redesign also included a new format, typeface and column width. Christ called it a \u201crebirth\u201d and a \u201cnew era.\u201d No explanation for the name change was given, but it is believed that the name would better signify who the newspaper represented and was more contemporary.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Father Albert Schneider joined the staff as managing editor in 1988, and Deborah Halter joined the staff in 1989 as the first female editor.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1984, the newspaper had 13,400 subscriptions.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">1990-1999<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Pete Hoelscher joined the staff as editor in 1993, followed by Malea Hargett in 1994. With Father Schneider\u2019s departure in 1994, Msgr. Francis I. Malone stepped in as managing editor. From 1997 to 2000, Danny Straessle served as managing editor. Since 1997 the newspaper has not had a priest on staff but has worked closely with a priest assigned as the theological consultant. Father Erik Pohlmeier was named the theological consultant in 2003 after Msgr. Malone was relieved of those duties.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">2000-2009<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">With Bishop J. Peter Sartain\u2019s arrival in 2000, the newspaper underwent a major redesign. When the newspaper changed to a new printing company in 2003, it could add four-color photographs and artwork to its pages for the first time.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">For 90 years the newspaper staff\u2019s main focus was publishing a weekly newspaper. In later years, it has also overseen an annual diocesan directory and started a biennial directory of Catholic businesses in 2002. With advancements in technology and changes in the diocese, more responsibilities were given to the newspaper staff. In 2003, with the ordination of the diocese\u2019s first Mexican-born priest, a four-page newsletter in Spanish called Arkansas Catholic en Espanol was introduced. Originally it was published six times a year, but increased to 10 times a year. The newsletter was discontinued in 2011.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 2004, the newspaper website, arkansas-catholic.org, was launched followed by the diocesan website, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dolr.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dolr.org<\/a>, in 2006.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Book publishing was another endeavor the newspaper staff undertook when Bishop Sartain decided to publish a compilation of his best-known columns. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkansas-catholic.org\/publications\/sartain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Of You My Heart Has Spoken<\/a>\u201d was published in 2005 and is now in its sixth printing.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">For 70-plus years the small staff published a newspaper 52 or 53 times a year. In the 1980s the decision was made to cut back production to 48 times a year to allow the staff to take vacations and upgrade equipment. In 2009 the frequency was reduced to 46 times a year.<\/p><h3 class=\"MsoNormal\">2010-2019<\/h3><p class=\"MsoNormal\">As on many important anniversaries, <em>Arkansas Catholic<\/em> unveiled a new design for its centennial on Feb. 5, 2011.\u00a0The centennial was observed in the March 26, 2011, issue with articles about newspaper\u2019s history, biographies of its first editors and life in 1911. An anniversary Mass and celebration were held with the current and two previous publishers Oct. 16 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor as well as retired Bishop McDonald and Archbishop Sartain, then serving in Seattle.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The newspaper joined social media in 2013 with Facebook and Twitter and added Instagram in 2018, expanding the reach of the diocesan newspaper beyond the print edition and website.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Two other digital advancements were made in 2014-2015 after a communications plan\u00a0was written. A new digital version of the newspaper was released in October 2014. Bishop Taylor made the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/digital.arkansas-catholic.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital edition free<\/a>\u00a0to anyone beginning in November 2019.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkansas-catholic.org\/publications\/e-letter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aSpire, an e-mail newsletter<\/a>, was unveiled in March 2015.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The newspaper website was updated in 2014 to better serve readers on mobile devices. The newspaper got a fresh new look with a large front-page photo in March 2018. To round out the different platforms that Arkansas Catholic uses to reach Catholics in Arkansas, a podcast called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkansas-catholic.org\/publications\/podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arkansas Catholic Asks<\/a> was produced from 2018 to 2021.\u00a0<\/p><h3>2020-present<\/h3><p>One of the biggest challenges for the staff was the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. From March 2020 to March 2021, some staff worked remotely, but reporters continued to report on Catholic news in the state, and the print and digital editions were sent out weekly.<\/p><p>In 2022, the staff said goodbye to its longtime theological consultant, Father Erik Pohlmeier, who was named bishop of St. Augustine, Fla. Father Andrew Hart, JCL, was appointed the theological consultant for the newspaper and diocesan communications.<\/p><p>This website was upgraded to a new platform in 2024 for better security and functionality.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 2024, the print edition had 3,600 subscribers, while the digital edition had 4,000 readers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3419c4e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"3419c4e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-22f2ad7\" data-id=\"22f2ad7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23c35d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"23c35d9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"579\" src=\"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ACfrontpage.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-20164\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ACfrontpage.jpg 400w, https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ACfrontpage-207x300.jpg 207w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diocese of Little Rock\u2019s official weekly newspaper since 1911 Arkansas Catholic has been the weekly newspaper\u00a0for the Diocese of Little Rock since 1911. Today it is published 46 times a year and\u00a0reaches\u00a0more than 9,000 households. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor is the publisher. From an office at 315 West Markham Street in downtown Little Rock, the first issue of\u00a0The Southern Guardian\u00a0was published on the Annunciation, March 25, 1911. Click to read newspaper issues\u00a0from 1911 through 2001, preserved with support from\u00a0the\u00a0Guardian Angels. Since Bishop Morris arrived in 1906 from Tennessee, he had wanted to start a newspaper to educate the 22,000 Catholics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2024-07-10 16:36:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16331"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20346,"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16331\/revisions\/20346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansas-catholic.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}