If you’ve seen Bishop Cote's announcement in your church bulletin, you are already aware that the Four County Catholic will be undergoing a number of positive changes. I am excited to be sharing the details of this today. 
FORMAT, FOCUS, and FREQUENCY
Beginning with the next issue, arriving in homes in mid December, there are three changes that you will notice. The main change is to the format. After 34 years the official publication of the diocese will become a magazine. Nationally, newspaper readership is in decline while magazines still enjoy strong readership across all demographics. Adults view magazines as more inspiring, fulfilling, and trustworthy than websites or TV.
The magazine format will provide readers with a more tangible, visual representation of the Catholic Faith in Eastern Connecticut by incorporating beautiful images to better equip them to show our fellow Catholics, and Christians alike, the positive change that is being made in our diocese.
The second thing you might notice is the focus. We decided the time was right to refocus our approach on the mission of connecting people with Jesus and His Church, to become more resourceful in that approach, and increase our reach to unchurched Catholics. We are also hopeful that the refreshed design will engage a wider audience.
The content will move from the traditional “news from a Catholic perspective” toward an integrated approach incorporating all forms of media with the same purpose. This idea is called content evangelization. The content of the magazine will help Catholics grow as disciples that are better equipped to evangelize. Sometimes simply sharing an article with a friend or family member will begin the dialogue.
And to prepare you to feel more comfortable, we will, over time, be adding new features that will strengthen you in the knowledge of your faith and provide you with tools to help you grow closer to God.
The page count and the frequency will both be reduced. The new format will be 24 pages published six times a year. This cost savings will allow us to increase our mailing list to reach every registered Catholic household in the Diocese of Norwich as well as making copies available at our schools, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and for the chaplains to distribute in the hospitals and prisons.
By publishing six times a year, we will have more time to refocus our available resources to expand our reach online. Currently, we have an active Facebook account that shares the news from around the diocese. However, not everyone is on Facebook. Many of our parishioners, especially young adults, are on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, so that’s where we need to be.
If you want to stay informed of the day-to-day news of the diocese, then please sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us on your favorite social media account.
We also want to interface more with our parishes to bring awareness of their evangelization efforts to the entire diocesan family. To do this we will need volunteers to provide us with content, both in words and pictures. If you are interested, send an email to Communications@ NorwichDiocese.net.
While we make this transition we ask for your prayers and support and of course your feedback.
By Wayne D. Gignac
Executive Editor-Communications Director
