Why Should You Subscribe to The Catholic Herald? What Makes Us Different?
G.K. Chesterton, the great essayist and creator of the fictional detective Father Brown, described the Catholic Herald as the only newspaper he trusted. (We were a newspaper for the first 126 years of our existence, before becoming a magazine in 2014.)
Nowadays, you have all sorts of companies vying for your money. Many of these are media outlets. It can be difficult to sift through the din and hype to find out which companies you can trust — that is, which ones really deserve your hard-earned cash.
Since coming to the United States in November 2018, The Catholic Herald is America’s only national Catholic weekly magazine of current affairs and culture.
That sounds incredible, but it’s true. There was such a wide gap in the Catholic media market, we knew we had to fill it.
We have come at the right time. The American church has been devastated by a series of scandals that require urgent scrutiny. Our powerful reporting, opinion pieces and cultural analysis will be a resource for orthodox Catholics who face a time of profound crisis.
Crucially, the Catholic Herald will offer practical suggestions for rebuilding confidence in the Church, not only in America but internationally.
We have been the gold standard of Catholic news, analysis, and culture writing since the 19th century. Today, we publish some of the best writers in the business. As a regular columnist, we have Sohrab Ahmari, now op-ed editor of the New York Post. We also have rising star Matthew Schmitz, literary editor of First Things, and the legendary Fr. George Rutler, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in New York City. (Fr. Rutler is the Herald’s “agony priest,” answering questions from the faithful in his inimitable waspish style.)
Two distinguished Canadian priests also write regularly: Fr. Raymond de Souza, editor of Convivium magazine, and Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, and a much-loved Herald writer on spirituality for more than 30 years.
Our mission is not only to give you news and analysis, but to celebrate Catholic beauty. Liturgical music is an important theme: the British edition’s consulting editors include the world-renowned composer Sir James MacMillan, whose Stabat Mater was performed in the Sistine Chapel in March this year.
Beyond our editorial content, we are an innovative company that wants to promote a Catholic lifestyle, not just write about it.
Our History
The Catholic Herald is one of the world’s oldest and most trusted Catholic publications. Founded in London in 1888 — yes, the same year as the Jack the Ripper murders — we have a storied background and over 130 years of wisdom that we bring to covering the Church today.
Our contributors over the years have included legendary writers like Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene. Are you a fan of The Lord of the Rings? While he was working on that book, author J.R.R. Tolkien was an avid Catholic Herald reader and correspondent.
The Catholic Herald has broken many stories in its time, the biggest of which was the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958 – a scoop the paper achieved by gambling that the pontiff would die immediately after it went to press.
Months before becoming British prime minister in 1978, Margaret Thatcher chose the Catholic Herald to talk candidly about her religious philosophy.
Why Have We Launched in the United States?
Our new US edition, based in Washington DC, is a unique source of trustworthy information in these difficult days – and a forceful advocate for accountability within the Church.
We decided to launch in the United States partly because we already had many American readers: nearly half the traffic to the Herald’s website comes from the United States.
The Catholic Herald will challenge the dangerous polarization of Catholicism into “liberal” and “conservative” factions. Instead, it will explore the riches of orthodox Catholicism – drawing inspiration from the mischievous words of Evelyn Waugh, who, reporting for the Herald from a Eucharistic Congress in Budapest, reassured Catholics that “we are normal – it is the irreligious who are freaks.”
If you’re unsure whether we’re right for you, email us at [email protected] We’re happy to answer any questions.
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