Our Sunday Visitor to publish local Philadelphia weekly

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 13, 2012 / 15:08 pm

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has partnered with the Catholic publisher Our Sunday Visitor to replace its shuttered newspaper with a special local edition of OSV Newsweekly.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said Sept. 13 that the archdiocese partnered with the publisher "to ensure an uninterrupted source of weekly Catholic content and perspective in the most cost-effective way possible."

In June the archdiocese announced the shutdown of its 117-year-old newspaper The Catholic Standard and Times, which had become a monthly publication in 2011. The newspaper's closure was one of the archdiocese's many spending cuts in the face of a financial deficit as large as $17 million.

Under the new publishing partnership, former Catholic and Times subscribers will receive a Philadelphia edition of OSV Newsweekly with Archbishop Chaput's column, local articles and news briefs. The distribution of the local edition will begin Sept. 16.

Archbishop Chaput said the archdiocese is "grateful" for Our Sunday Visitor's willingness to collaborate "during this challenging time."

Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, said the 100-year-old company has "a long history" of partnering with dioceses.

"We are honored to assist Archbishop Chaput and the Church as a whole by continuing to provide Philadelphians with the Catholic news they have come to depend on through The Catholic Standard and Times," he said.

Our Sunday Visitor will provide customer service and marketing support for the local edition.

The publisher said OSV Newsweekly is the largest national Catholic weekly in the U.S.