Help Spread the Faith

Seventeen years ago, we began the St. Augustine Catholic magazine. I hope you have enjoyed each issue. The St. Augustine Catholic is sent to every Catholic home in our diocese - approximately 55,000 households. It has been critical to your parish and our diocesan evangelization efforts to reach the many Catholics who have become disconnected from the life of the church. It has also helped educate, inform and inspire the many Catholics who are active in the church. The St. Augustine Catholic magazine is a great resource for adults who want to enrich and learn more about their faith.

If we did not send the St. Augustine Catholic, 62% of Catholic homes in our diocese would receive no other religious publication. That is why your support of the annual Help Spread the Faith Communications Appeal is so important. If you have given to this important appeal in the past, I thank you. You helped your parish and our diocese send the magazine to every Catholic home. You helped continue our interactive websites, and the U.S. bishops’ evangelization efforts.

Because of those who generously supported the Help Spread the Faith Communications Appeal, our diocese was able to pioneer the St. Augustine Catholic, an outreach that really works. Other dioceses have seen our magazine’s effectiveness and are adopting the St. Augustine Catholic model.

The St. Augustine Catholic’s recent readership survey shows that our magazine is working:

• 96% of households that receive the magazine have someone who has read it.
• 93% of readers say, “The St. Augustine Catholic improves my understanding of the mission and teachings of the church.”
• 94% of readers say, “The St. Augustine Catholic makes me feel more connected to my Catholic faith.”
• 82% of readers say, “The St. Augustine Catholic helps me explain my faith to others.”

The growth of our diocesan magazine has been amazing, but we can’t continue to provide our outreach to every Catholic home without your help. Now more than ever, we rely on your help to continue the St. Augustine Catholic’s important mission here in our diocese. Just this year, the United States Postal Service increased the rate for mailing publications by 13%. I encourage you to consider participating in the Help Spread the Faith Communications Appeal, Sept. 8-9, 2007.

When we started sending the magazine to every Catholic household in Feb. 2006, it was a leap of faith. We needed to find more effective ways to spread the message of Christ in our information age. I believe the St. Augustine Catholic was a risk that paid off. We hear how the magazine changes lives. It moves people to remember they belong to the Body of Christ. It puts them in contact with resources to improve their lives. It reminds them they belong to a parish. I think it is an excellent example of what we can accomplish when we work together. Thank you for your commitment to the Help Spread the Faith Communications Appeal. We rely on God’s grace as we answer Christ’s call to spread the faith.

- Kathleen Bagg-Morgan, editor