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The Register: The life-giving power of sharing the Good News
By Roxanne King
Last week the venerable Denver Catholic Register marked 111 years of service to the Gospel. We are grateful to God for blessing our efforts and permitting us to reach this milestone.
Our mission has remained constant: With each issue, the Register strives to inform you about what is happening in the local and universal Church, inspire you with how the Gospel is transforming lives and engage you with the Catholic faith, making it relevant for your life. Thankfully, 90,000 households benefit from this mission.
Support
Amazing technological advances have taken place since the first issue of the Register was published on March 17, 1900. Recently, a soft economy, rising costs and digital communications have taken their toll on the newspaper industry. Despite those challenges, the Register remains strong. Here’s why:
First: We have the support of our publisher, Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
In January when the National Catholic Register—which was born in Denver 84 years ago as part of the now-defunct Register System of Newspapers—was in danger of closing, the archbishop helped connect the paper with its new owner, EWTN. His words about NCR hold true for the Denver Catholic Register:
“The service and history of the paper are too important to simply abandon,” Archbishop Chaput said. “The Church needs more tools of faithful communication, not fewer.”
Second: Our commitment to award-winning excellence and superior stewardship keep us ever improving.
In September, we enhanced the paper’s look by going to a full-color publication printed on brighter paper. At the same time, to save money we changed from mail to carrier delivery for most subscribers. And just this month, some subscribers in outlying regions have started receiving their newspaper at their parish.
Third: The generous support of our faithful readers and advertisers.
In 2009 in conjunction with our anniversary, the Register launched what is now an annual Join the Mission campaign, inviting readers who get the paper complimentary as part of parish membership to voluntarily contribute the yearly $35 subscription cost or to purchase a gift subscription for someone they know. The 2011 campaign is now in full swing.
Budget
We’ve learned that how the Register is paid for is a mystery to most subscribers. Parish contributions, advertising and subscriptions cover most of the newspaper’s $1.4 million budget. Here’s how it works:
Advertisers: Advertising covers 53 percent of the Register’s costs.
Parish contributions: A portion of parishes’ annual contributions for archdiocesan ministries and services is allocated to the Register. Parish contributions (about $7 per subscriber) cover 46 percent of our costs.
Individuals: Some individual subscribers pay the full $35 subscription cost, most of them through the Join the Mission campaign. (For how to join, read the information box on this page, the Join the Mission ad on Page 16 or online at www.DenverCatholicRegister.org/join.) Our goal is for the campaign to cover 4 percent of our costs—that means just 1,600 subscribers “joining” our mission.
Results
Our work matters. Here’s just one recent example:
Last month we received an e-mail from Bruce Tawson, press relations officer for the Colorado Knights of Columbus, that said in part: “One of our parishioners at Christ the King in Evergreen was moved by the (Jan. 19) Denver Catholic Register article (‘Knights aid pro-life cause with ultrasound machine donations’). I have attached the note and attachments she sent along with her $1,000 donation (for the Knights’ ultrasound initiative).”
Such letters lift our hearts. Our words had meant life to a critical apostolate. That’s how the Gospel—the Good News—works. The more you share it, the more Good News there is to share.
Thankfully, the Register isn’t in danger of closing. We aim to keep it that way and hope we can count on your support to ensure that we continue sharing the Good News far into the future. We believe the life-giving message of the Gospel is needed now more than ever.
Roxanne King is editor of the Denver Catholic Register.
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