The Death of the Catholic Standard and Times – an anticlimactic PR Release in Philly - Jobs Lost

June 1951

They are closing down the old Catholic Standard and Times in Philly.  Apparently there is a seventeen million dollar deficit in the archdiocese of Philadelphia, eleven million of which foolishly spent on the defense of monsignor Lynn and company.  The Catholic Standard and Times in Philly was where a good Catholic used to get a full dose of any Catholic story not carried or fully carried in the WASP Evening Bulletin, Daily News or Philadelphia Inquirer.

The once weekly newspaper was cut back to monthly over a year ago.  That tells you at the Catholic Brand is no longer a strong brand in Philly.  It says that the number of Catholic households that subscribe are down.  It tells you that fewer people bother to read these days.  Fewer advertisers too. That Public Relations and cash to the Catholic League for propaganda instead of Catholic news is deemed more important from on top and trickled down to the least common denominator nobody Catholic member still bothering to show up in a pew on any Sunday.

Philly Archdiocese cuts 45 jobs, closes Standard and Times

“These are good men and women who have served the Church well,” said Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M Cap. “I take this action with great reluctance, as one of several urgently needed steps to restore the local Church to a healthy financial footing. Every departing employee has the sincere gratitude of the Archdiocese and will be treated with maximum consideration.”

They have served their church well and now they can be discarded now that they are no longer needed. Typical GOP trickle down "humanity" speak. Now that Satan, the GOP, it would seem has taken over the Roman Catholic Church in America. Downsize, Outsource, Offshore Invest.

Forty odd jobs are disappearing with this ancient enterprise.  No history of its founding anywhere in Chaput’s chronically smug sounding PR pronouncement.  These pronouncements sound like they are written and rewritten and preformed verbally over and over again in front of a mirror or in front of toady subordinates that praise every sentence, word, comma, period.  One would think that archbishop Chaput has no time for sleep in his zealous discharge of his duties.  In fact, how can he sleep knowing that he is doing a slow decimation of the church of my ancestors in Philly.  Oh well.

I do remember that the Catholic Standard and Times as an institution goes back at least  to 1892 because the image of the 400^th Century Anniversary of Catholic Columbus’ discovery of America, from a stamp, was once part of the front page title header.

Whatever.  

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