Easy to take for granted

All of us are creatures of habit. The habits we form become part of the daily rhythm of our lives. We may not even be aware of these habits until something disrupts our routine. Part of my morning routine is to grab the morning paper from the driveway before my first cup of coffee.

The day is off to a rocky start when, for one reason or another, the paper is delayed. Maybe I’m old school, but I like to spend time with the paper before starting my day. That’s not to say that I haven’t grown accustomed to using various smart devices or my laptop for accessing digital media or tuning in to my favorite radio stations for programming so I can stay connected.

Keeping abreast with events in our community, our nation, our world and our Church is important. We are social and relational creatures!

One of the vital means of staying abreast with things happening in our Catholic world has been the Sooner Catholic, our award-winning archdiocesan newspaper. It was Archbishop Quinn who established the Sooner Catholic in 1976 to serve the new Archdiocese of Oklahoma City when the state was divided into two dioceses. He recognized the importance of a local Catholic newspaper to share news and information to strengthen our sense of communion with one another across our vast archdiocese.

The Sooner Catholic continues to report news of things happening in our parishes, in Oklahoma, and throughout the world. It offers features about persons, places and events that interest and affect us. It provides editorial opinion, cultural commentary and authoritative teaching.

More than simply reporting the news, the Sooner Catholic has been an important instrument for advancing the evangelizing mission of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma.

Just as our secular newspapers have had to adapt to survive, the Sooner Catholic continues to adapt to changing tastes, needs and trends in communication technology and in our local church.

These days there are regular Spanish pages in each issue of the Sooner Catholic. In addition to a colorful biweekly newspaper for every Catholic household in the archdiocese, the Office of Communications also maintains the archdiocesan website (A new updated website is on the way!), and multiple electronic platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Sooner Catholic is supported by the annual Sooner Catholic Communications Appeal. In addition to the newspaper, the Sooner Catholic Communications Appeal also supports local Catholic radio stations, helps maintain our website and even helped make possible the award-winning documentary on Blessed Stanley Rother that premiered at his Beatification Mass.

It is easy to take for granted many of the things that make up the rhythm and fabric of our lives. Perhaps the Sooner Catholic is one of those things. Please support the Sooner Catholic Communications Appeal and help us continue to provide up-to-date news and crucial formation across various platforms for the people of this archdiocese.

Thank you for your generous support!