Chicago, Ill., Sep 27, 2006 / 22:00 pm
A new Catholic monthly will begin publishing in the Archdiocese of Chicago next month — in Polish. Barbara Otto, the four-year Chicago correspondent for Niedziela, a Catholic magazine published in Poland and sold in the U.S., will serve as news editor of the new publication, called “Katolik.” It will be the nation's only Polish-language diocesan newspaper.
Cardinal Francis George attended the launch of the newspaper at the Polish Museum of America, reported the Chicago Tribune.
"Newspapers have a certain role as information tools and they can be used to guide people along the way of the Lord," the cardinal reportedly said. "Newspapers are full of stories of people who are trying to follow Christ."
Funded by donations and advertising, more than 15,000 papers will be distributed, free of charge, in more than 50 parishes that celebrate Polish masses and in private schools that offer Polish language lessons.
The archdiocese estimates that nearly a million Roman Catholics of Polish descent live in Chicago and its suburbs.
While many of those faithful also speak English, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki said the newspaper will give Polish parishioners a more convenient and personal way to connect to the church.
The archdiocese also publishes “Catolico,” a Spanish-language monthly, and “The Catholic New World,” an English-language biweekly.