Xtra! Xtra! Get your digital newspapers here

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI | This month, what Archbishop Thomas Wenski calls “the new normal” is evident in the pages of the Florida Catholic and La Voz Católica.

Yes, the newspapers were “published” this month. No, they are not “newspapers” in the traditional sense, in that the “paper” part is missing. The April editions of both newspapers were not “printed” with paper and ink. They are “printed” digitally, which means they can be read online.

That’s where most of the Church’s activities have taken place since the coronavirus pandemic forced most of Floridians — and indeed the country and the world — to “stay home” and “stay safe.” That’s also where families are meeting for virtual gatherings via Zoom or Skype or Facetime or any other of the online platforms and applications that are out there.

The archdiocesan newspapers, published once a month, are normally distributed for free at every South Florida parish. They are supposed to be handed out by ushers after all the weekend Masses. But since Masses with the public have not resumed in the archdiocese, the Communications Office decided there was no point to printing copies of the newspaper for distribution to the parishes. (The March edition was delivered to parishes the weekend that Masses with the public were canceled because we went to press before the decision was made.)

Churches are doing the same thing now with their parish bulletins: foregoing the print part and publishing them online.

For the newspapers, this “new normal” is not that new. Since 2009, when the Florida Catholic Miami edition began publishing monthly, and 2013, when La Voz Católica began publishing once again, both newspapers have published digital editions along with printed copies. These can be found anytime at miami.thefloridacatholic.org. Back issues can be found there as well.

All the stories published in both newspapers are also published, albeit in a different format, on the archdiocesan website, www.miamiarch.org. The news there gets refreshed daily and a digital newsletter is emailed to subscribers around the middle of each week.

The reason for this “doubling up” on publishing is simple: We know that many of our readers are not that comfortable with computers or prefer the feel and smell of newsprint. And we want to make sure every Catholic has access to all the news about the Church in South Florida.

Whether that lack of digital savvy persists after our pandemic-induced isolation, even for the older generations, is a good question. And how long this “new normal” will last is anybody’s guess.

Regardless, I want to encourage everyone, young and old, to subscribe to our digital email blast by adding your name and email to our list. Just go to the archdiocese’s home page and look at the bottom right. I also urge everyone to visit the online editions of the newspaper by going to miami.thefloridacatholic.org.

The benefit of going to the digital edition, for families who speak both English and Spanish at home, is that you will be able to read both the Florida Catholic and La Voz, whose limited print circulation often runs out quickly in local churches. Like the printed version, there's no charge for the digital edition, so you can share the link with anyone.

The newspapers, I might add, are not mirror images, or translations, of each other. While many stories appear in both newspapers, some appear in only one. If time and staffing permit, we try to translate them into both languages and add them to the website, but that’s not always possible.

So I would encourage those who are bilingual to peruse both newspapers. Maybe the grandparents can share some Spanish-language news with their English-speaking grandchildren, and vice-versa.

Subscriptions to the digital edition also ensure your support for our advertisers, who have continued to support us throughout this pandemic.

This month, both newspapers report on the tremendous amount of online activity being carried out by local parishes in response to the pandemic; on the expanded work of local charities to help people deal with the economic fallout of the crisis; and on the online classes that will now continue through the end of the academic year at all the archdiocesan schools.

Homeschooling veterans also share tips to help parents trying to keep up with their children’s online classes. And because April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, we also include an article suggesting ways to keep children safe online.

I pray that this “new normal” will keep all of us learning and growing together as a Church community. Stay safe and God bless.

P.S. For those of you with social media accounts, you can follow the Archdiocese of Miami on Facebook (ArchdioceseofMiami), Instagram,Twitter and YouTube (@CatholicMiami). Our podcasts, What the Faith, Miami? and Cuéntame Católico are also available on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/archdiocese-of-miami).