For those of you who like your Catholic news digital and tech-y, you may have noticed — or will notice soon — some changes.

This should come as no real surprise, as we’ve been talking about this in print and online for a couple of weeks.

Our website — madisoncatholicherald.org — looks different.

Our Facebook page — in regards to the content shared and how it’s shared — will look a little different.

The print newspaper you may be holding in your hands now (not ignoring those of you who may be reading the e-Edition or website) looks pretty much the same, but we are moving to an every-other-week model of publication.

Our commitment to keeping you informed and helping you grow in your faith has not, is not, and will not change.

We hope to be even better at it going forward.

Despite all the changes, not a lot is really changing.

Our past work and legacy are still around. Our new website has a link to our old website, where all of our past online content can still be accessed.

Speaking of the old website, I want to pause for a bit to give many words of thanks.

If there ever was an unsung hero of the Catholic Herald for the past 25-ish years, it’s Chris Lee.

If you have ever read anything from the Catholic Herald online, you have Chris Lee to thank for that.

For years, Chris has put in a lot of time — oftentimes as a pure labor of love — making sure our websites did their jobs of sharing our information well.

We’ve had website crashes, errors, slowdowns, and even one hacking; Chris found a way to get past them all.

While our “webmaster” is changing, Chris will still be helping to maintain the old archive site — a trustworthy choice to help preserve our legacy.

Our past will always be with us, and we can look forward to a new future.

New tricks for old dogs

In the 1920s, most people got their news from . . . newspapers. Radio eventually wanted to get in on the news game, and by the late 1930s, radio journalism was a thing with its immediacy and real audio elements.

Radio journalism came of age on June 6, 1944, with up-to-the-minute coverage of the Normandy invasion (D-Day), along with actual audio (recorded for later air) from the battles.

Newspapers didn’t go away, though, and they haven’t fully gone away (we’re still here!). They have adapted to the times, even adding an online presence.

The same thing happened when televisions started showing up in people’s homes.

TV journalism’s coming of age was on November 22, 1963, when those “four dark days” were dominated by nothing but John F. Kennedy assassination coverage.

Radio and newspapers didn’t go away after that; they still reported the news and found new ways of reaching their audiences.

The 1990s saw the rise of “websites”.

Immediacy became more immediate, and the written word became appreciated again, albeit abused and misused, as we all learned that anyone could put anything they want online.

In the 2000s, social media added the next layer of new technology to news reporting, creating a synergy between all types of elements.

Forgive me, I haven’t studied enough modern history to come up with when “e-media” came of age.

I’d say 9/11, but I recall TV dominating most of that coverage still.

As the new bells and whistles become a part of news sharing, print, radio, TV, and so on are still around.

Many of them are excelling in or are still looking for their new roles in the industry.

Sharing the message

The Word of God and the Catholic Church have been around for many, many years.

The methods of sharing the “Good News” (I really wanted to avoid using that phrase, but here we are) have changed, but the message is always the same.

The Diocese of Madison and the Catholic Herald will never stop trying to Go Make Disciples until we are at the end of our age, whatever that looks like.

Don’t let trendy window dressing or new methods of communication distract you or discourage you from that.

Even if they aren’t drastic changes, I think there will be some more great new things to report on here in the next few months or so.

What might be next for us at the Catholic Herald? Keep reading.

Thank you for reading.

I’m praying for you.