A PAPER FOR THE FAITHFUL

100 YEARS: Staff writer Emily Benson says 'I’m so happy to be part of something that continues to bring that tender faith into your homes'

My first thought after realizing that The Evangelist was coming up on its 100th anniversary was, “My God, can you believe it?”

To which my next thought was, “Well, He probably can. It’s basically His paper.”

First published on Friday, March 19, 1926, it’s amazing to look back at what The Evangelist has seen. This paper has covered World Wars and famine, the Great Depression and the Civil Rights movement. It was around when Easter hats were only $5 and Vatican II was still decades away. 

It was there to announce the Bishops of Albany and to break the news of their deaths. It saw the opening of Catholic schools and the closing of generations-old parishes. It covered the lives and deaths of thousands of Catholic priests, sisters and lay people who have been involved in a variety of ways across the 14-county span of the Diocese. 

From my perspective, this paper has survived the bankruptcy of the Albany Diocese, a global pandemic that rocked everyone’s lives, and the crashing of one laptop (RIP to my MacBook Pro). None of which is a small feat.

When The Evangelist first came out, it helped fill a missing gap in the Albany Diocese. This paper provided Catholics with updates on diocesan information, kept churchgoers informed on events and changes happening in parishes outside their own, and provided a source for religious education and Church news on a larger, global scale.

In 1926, newspapers were the main source for staying informed; now, it’s one of many ways people can get their news. Social media and the internet have taken up a lot of space for delivering news, but the value of the physical newspaper is something that still cannot be replaced. 

Today, The Evangelist is mailed weekly to 34,000 households, covering 14 counties in Upstate New York. It has the highest circulation of any weekly newspaper in the Capital District and is one of the oldest newspapers in the upstate area.

And this paper, much like other local newspapers and media outlets, is not known for its global reach — but I think it’s known for something bigger than that.

It’s an old (but true) saying: “To the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world.” How amazing that 100 years later, our coverage still brings that statement to life.

The heart of this paper has always been the people who are in it. The people of faith in our community, the work of our local religious, and the support that our diocesan charity organizations bring to those in need.

I’m so happy to be part of something that continues to bring that tender faith into your homes and lives. Whether it’s in a quiet morning with a cup of coffee and the paper, or having something to read in the car on the way back from Mass, I hope every reader puts the paper down more informed, faithful and happy to see that local, Catholic news is still kicking — even after 100 years.