With a new look, an old name and a revived mission, ‘Our Sunday Visitor’ returns to its roots

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Gretchen R. CroweWelcome back to Our Sunday Visitor!

A beloved publication for more than a century, Our Sunday Visitor is returning to the name originally bestowed upon it by our founder, Father John Francis Noll. Father Noll’s motto printed on that first issue of Our Sunday Visitor back on May 5, 1912, was “to be practical and to do good.” A country parish priest, Father Noll started Our Sunday Visitor in response to the challenges of his time — namely the widespread anti-Catholicism that was sweeping the country and the malformation of Catholic laity in their faith.

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Now, more than 107 years later, the Church is facing many of the same problems. The divide between the culture and our faith is greater than ever. Many Catholics in recent decades have been poorly formed and are unable to evangelize because they aren’t sure themselves what the Church teaches. Add to that a pervasive secularism and an inevitable resulting anti-Catholic sentiment, and we find today almost a mirror image of the challenges faced by Father Noll.

In addition, we face new struggles from the sexual abuse crisis and other crises of power that most unfortunately continue to corrode the Church from within. And we face all of these challenges in an era of division, polarization and incivility in our Church and nation.

Redesigned coverAt this challenging time, Our Sunday Visitor’s mission is more clear — and needed — than ever. We will speak the truth, through charity, in a way that seeks to overcome divisions and bring people together under the banner of Jesus Christ. Our Sunday Visitor continues to be the trusted voice in the Church that readers have come to know and respect over the past century. Along with a return to its original name, Our Sunday Visitor will offer increased commentary and analysis from our editorial board and seasoned staff, all in an updated design that presents a more modern, yet still traditional look. Perhaps the biggest change, aside from that of the name, is our new treatment of Pages 4-5. Our longform news analyses will now be a staple of our online coverage, and the print edition will devote those pages to greater commentary on a variety of Church and world events from the perspective of our mission. You can read more about our renewed mission on our editorial page, now expanded and found on Page 3.

Through a recent readership survey (if you participated, thank you!), we know that our readers highly value content that helps them grow in their love of Jesus Christ. An expanded Faith section on Pages 14-15 ensures that this remains a top priority for the publication. And an expanded “Pastoral Answers” column by Msgr. Charles Pope — by far our most popular columnist — is now on Page 19.

Finally, I will no longer be writing in this space, but rather I will be shifting to a biweekly column on Page 17. Teresa Tomeo, who has occupied that space for more than a decade, will continue to write for Our Sunday Visitor online. Scott Warden, Our Sunday Visitor’s managing editor, and Ava Lalor, assistant editor, will be alternating columnists for “Openers.”

Our Sunday Visitor will remain a weekly newspaper, but if you find yourself wanting more, be sure to visit us at OSVNews.com, where we will offer more content for Catholics seeking to grow in knowledge and love of their faith. While there, sign up for our daily newsletter, Our Sunday Visitor News Now, which will be delivered straight to your inbox every day. And, of course, don’t miss us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Our Sunday Visitor has been a highly respected voice not only in Catholic media, but in national media, for more than 100 years. We are grateful that we continue to be welcomed in your homes and your parishes, and we look forward to serving you and the Church for at least 100 more.

During this time of transition, we welcome your feedback even more. Please write to feedback@osv.com.

Read our press release here.

Gretchen R. Crowe is editorial director for periodicals for OSV.

Gretchen R. Crowe

Gretchen R. Crowe is the editor-in-chief of OSV News.