Turning the page: Magazine to reduce issues

By Kristi Anderson

“I’d rather cut off my left arm.” That’s what I said to Joe Towalski, my former editor at “The Central Minnesota Catholic,” on more than one occasion when he would hand back my freshly written 1,400-word feature story and tell me I needed to cut it in half.

I write long. I always have. But what I learned over time, with some training and maybe a few tears, is that I didn’t always need 1,400 words to capture the beauty, truth and goodness of our faith or the stories of those who grace these pages. Nevertheless, it was hard to let go.

Now, following in Joe’s footsteps as editor of this publication, I’ve had to make the painful decision to let go of something even more significant. And it hurts just as much.

In our diocese, we are called to be faithful stewards — not only of our time, talents and treasures but also of the tools we use to share the Gospel. With this in mind, last year we made the prayerful decision to reduce the number of print issues of “The Central Minnesota Catholic” from 12 to 10 per year. This change was not just a logistical adjustment; it was a deliberate act of stewardship, aligning with our mission to serve the Church and the Gospel more effectively.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. The rising costs of printing and postage have made it increasingly difficult to maintain even a 10-issue print schedule without straining our financial resources. With parishes already stretched, we didn’t feel right raising the assessments and placing additional burden on them.

So, we pondered and prayed, much like each of you are doing during the All Things New planning process. We, too, are being asked to carefully examine what we do at the diocese and look for ways to share material and human resources and make adjustments where we can. Therefore, I have decided to cut back to six print issues per year. While this feels like a heavy loss — and I admit I feel my share of grief in having to make this decision — I believe this is the faithful response.

Setting aside my personal wishes and dreams for this publication, my long history with our bi-weekly newspaper and magazine and the potential criticism I know I might face, I choose to join the late Pope Francis’ call to be people of hope in this Jubilee Year. The victory here is not mine, nor is the glory. But my team and I will do our best to find new and exciting ways to continue furthering the mission of the Church. I hope you will join us as we enhance our digital presence, develop more engaging content and support the pastoral planning process that is vital to our diocesan mission.

By embracing digital platforms such as our website, social media channels and digital newsletters, we can reach a broader audience — including younger generations who engage more readily with online content. This shift will help us share the Good News more effectively and inclusively, ensuring our message resonates with all members of our community.

I, as much as anyone, understand that change can be challenging. And while I’m not asking you to cut off your left arm, I am asking you to gracefully accept this change and support this transition by engaging with our digital content, providing feedback and praying for the success of our efforts to communicate the Gospel more effectively. Together, we can ensure that our resources are used wisely to build up the Body of Christ and share his love with the world.

Kristi Anderson is the diocesan director of Communications and editor of The Central Minnesota Catholic magazine.