Editor, others reflect on significance of diocesan newspaper, as new website debuts, print magazine date approaches
At the age of 8, James McKarns first encountered the fledgling Catholic Exponent in his home in Summitville (Columbiana County).
“I didn’t go to Catholic grade school or high school. Receiving the Catholic Exponent at home gave me a lot of religious reading during that time,” said now- Father McKarns, pastor emeritus of North Canton St. Paul Parish, who wrote the Exponent’s Scripture column from 1981 to 1984.
Growing up, Father McKarns found inspiration in the diocesan newspaper’s pictures and articles, which his mother would often read to him.
“Looking at the pictures, I thought ‘maybe I could be a priest,” he said in a recent Exponent interview. “In addition to Sunday Mass and the weekly homilies, the Exponent was a religious extension beyond the home. I didn’t have any information like that other than the Exponent,” he said.
The diocesan newspaper was “a helpful source of different things – movie reviews, a guide to activities in the parishes, an outreach to people,” Father McKarns continued.
“Youngstown is quite a distance from Canton, Ashtabula, and East Liverpool. The Exponent reached out to connect people to what was going on in the central city of the diocese and let you know you are part of the Youngstown Diocese.”
Pete Sheehan, Exponent editor/general manager since 2013, who also was a reporter for the newspaper from 1979 to 1986, is a 1974 graduate of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney High School. He said that, as a teenager, the Exponent was his link to sports and events in other diocesan schools.
“Growing up, I knew there were Catholic high schools in four of the six counties of the diocese and I knew I had some connection to these high schools. I can still remember reading [in the Exponent] about players being picked for all-diocesan teams in football and basketball,” he fondly recalled.
“Perhaps more than any other institution in the diocese, the Exponent offered its readers a sense of identity as a diocese,” Sheehan said. “How we grow as a [faith] community and identify with each other is knowing about each other.”
Elaine Polomsky Soos, working in retirement for the past five years as Exponent contributing/consulting editor, was hired as associate editor in 1986 and promoted to managing editor in 1990. She said she has always been proud to have been associated with the Exponent – a diocesan newspaper that “thrived for decades after many others ceased publishing, because it remained close to its readers and aware of their needs.”
“The Exponent provided more local coverage of people and events than most of the other diocesan newspapers in Ohio, while also reporting on broader events,” Soos said. “In surveys we did, most of our readers told us the Exponent was the only Catholic publication they read.
“Our diocesan newspaper seemed to meet their requirement for information about the Catholic Church at diocesan, state, national and international levels, while also offering them commentary and a Catholic perspective on major events in the news,” she said.
Soos, who announced her plan to fully retire with this last edition of the Exponent, said she enjoyed spending this month and last researching the paper’s nearly eight decades of history in order to plan the special tribute section that appears in this issue. (See Pages 9-21)
“Searching through the files and paging through those past issues, especially the very, very fragile bound volumes from the 1940, ‘50s and ‘60s, reminded me of the events I lived through as a child (pre-Second Vatican Council), and a teenager (concurrent with the Council) growing up Catholic in Youngstown’s sister diocese of Cleveland,” she said. “The experience also took me back to the events I reported on as a journalist working on the religion desk at the Tribune-Chronicle in Warren and in my positions at the Exponent.”
Katie Wagner, who was named publications editor/associate director of communications for the diocese last summer, said she gained first-hand experience working with Exponent personnel when she assigned stories and photos for the newspaper from October to December.
“That time really allowed me to get to know our writers and photographers and recognize all the talents that we have in our team of freelancers and the team we have internally,” Wagner said. “The staff has been putting out the Exponent for many years and they’re good at what they do. They have a great culture here.”
Wagner will be leading the publishing effort of the Exponent’s successor, The Catholic Echo, when the new magazine comes on the scene in late spring. The magazine’s new website was launched earlier this month.
Most of the current Exponent staff and freelancers will continue on as diocesan employees, working for The Catholic Echo. They already have begun their related responsibilities with the Diocesan Communications Office.
Justin Huyck, director of communications, started working with the Exponent staff about a year and a half ago. He said the diocese plans to build on the legacy of the Exponent as the communications office launches The Catholic Echo.
“Coming out of the Second Vatican Council, the Diocese of Youngstown has been a leader in media and publishing,” Huyck said. “Along with Catholic Television Network of Youngstown (CTNY), the Exponent has utilized media to help Catholics in the six counties grow in faith.
“That continues to be our guiding philosophy. We have a transformational faith and we’re transforming into the future, building on that legacy of good media, good publishing in the diocese and innovating to the time we’re in now.”
Sheehan noted that Bishop James Malone, long-time Exponent publisher, who attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), was committed to educating all diocesan adults about the coming changes.
“There were efforts made to bring in speakers to explain the meaning and significance of the reforms of [Vatican II],” Sheehan said. “For years after, that tradition was maintained – the diocese bringing in speakers to inform readers about various topics and issues and the Exponent covering them.”
The Exponent was vitally important to the diocese, said Sheehan, who pointed out that trying to remain timely as a biweekly paper was challenging. (When he was hired as a reporter for the Exponent, the newspaper was a weekly.)
Feedback from readers indicated an appreciation of human-interest stories and articles that tell about how people are living out their faith, he noted. In addition, “the diversity of the diocese which includes cities, smaller towns and rural areas certainly made us stand out,” said Sheehan.
The small staff composed of long-serving members was another Exponent strength, which Sheehan described as “a fellowship. There was a great deal of mutual interaction, a great sense of identifying with each other’s struggles. If anyone was going through difficulties, people always wanted to help where they could.”
Vicar general Msgr. Robert Siffrin discussed the significance of the Catholic Exponent for diocesan Catholics.
“The mission of the Catholic Exponent for the last 79 years has been a vital component of our story of faith as a Diocesan Church. From the day-to-day recounting of news, events and commentaries of faith to the extraordinary events of history, the Exponent has always been there.
“I note in particular the special editions of the Exponent for significant events of diocesan history such as the 50th and 75th anniversaries, the retirement of Bishop Malone, the welcome of Bishop Tobin, Bishop Malone’s death, Bishop Franzetta’s retirement and death, the welcome of Bishop Murry, his illness and death, the ordination and installation of Bishop Bonnar, and the special developments of pastoral planning.
“The anniversaries of parishes and institutions were always insightful, Msgr. Siffrin continued. “The annual celebrations of ordinations and recognition of priests’ anniversaries and achievements were special times of thanks and appreciation.”
“It has been my privilege to know and work with the members of the Exponent staff and contributors,” Msgr. Siffrin said. “Their dedication and love of the Church has been a constant source of appreciation and thanks.”
“The transition from the Exponent to the Catholic Echo is an exciting time to see the unfolding of new ways to proclaim the faith,” the vicar general said. “Whether it be the Joy of the Gospel or new expositions of the faith, we will journey in faith with our Lord so that all may be one.”
In transitioning from The Catholic Exponent to The Catholic Echo, Huyck noted that “one of the strengths of [our] diocesan media has been its ecumenical focus.
“The Catholic Echo will continue that focus, building on the legacy of Father George Balasko (co-founder along with Rabbi Samuel Meyer of the Jewish-Christian Studies programs) and Father Joseph Witmer (former diocesan ecumenical officer and a member of the Lutheran-Catholic Covenant).
“Service to the world, commitment to justice and life issues has also been a priority for a lot of Exponent readers and that will continue to be part of our mission [with The Catholic Echo],” he said.
Huyck and Wagner take pride in having developed a multi-media website that reflects today’s digital culture and in having made plans for the locally produced complimentary print magazine.
“It’s a way of being a Church that’s committed to evangelization,” Huyck stressed. Our parishes are doing some incredible things. The Catholic Echo [website and magazine] allows us to spotlight that and connect people to what’s new in the Church.”
“We hope readers will enjoy the magazine and check out the media website. We’re going to have a lot of great content,” Wagner added.
