The ''Pittsburgh Catholic'' is the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

news source for the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh The Diocese of Pittsburgh () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. It was established on August 11, 1843. The diocese is a suffragan diocese of the Archdi ...

, published for lay people, clergy and religious. It labeled itself as the oldest Catholic newspaper in continuous publication in the U.S. The newspaper was established in 1844 by Pittsburgh's first bishop, Michael O'Connor. According to its website, the ''Catholic'' had a total market of 111,250 Catholics. Publication was suspended in March 2020 due to the effects of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

but returned as an online news source on September 25, 2020. It is currently not available online, but is published six times per year in a magazine format. The print version of the ''Catholic'' was available for free at most churches and Catholic outlets or centers in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, as churches purchased the newspaper in bulk for 21 cents per copy. Articles included news about events occurring throughout the diocese, articles on local diocesan schools, features on community and charity programs orchestrated by local Catholic organizations, reviews and commentary on contemporary media, question-and-answer forums by priests to explain church doctrine, and editorials on Church issues. The former Bishop of Pittsburgh,

Donald Wuerl Donald William Wuerl (born November 12, 1940) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Washington from 2006 to 2018. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle (1986 to 1987) and Bishop of Pit ...

, was generally seen as a conservative bishop. As a result, the ''Pittsburgh Catholic'' was considered a conservative publication as well. However, because the newspaper is oriented towards the local region, it rarely contained extensive commentary on national issues. According to the '' Pittsburgh Business Times Book of Lists'', the ''Pittsburgh Catholic'' was the largest weekly publication in western

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and the second-largest newspaper in western Pennsylvania. The ''Pittsburgh Catholic'' is a member of the

Catholic Press Association The Catholic Media Association, formerly the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, is an association of American and Canadian newspaper and media specialists specialized on reporting on the Catholic Church. Founded in 1911, it ...

. Its general manager, Robert P. Lockwood, was nominated as finalist for the association's annual

St. Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, C.O., O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the rel ...

Award.

References

External links

Official Website of the ''Pittsburgh Catholic''Diocese of Pittsburgh Website
{{Pittsburgh Catholic newspapers published in the United States Defunct newspapers published in Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Newspapers established in 1844