(Condensed from Malea Hargett's notes.)

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Editor Malea Hargett was invited to speak to the knights at their February 2 council meeting about the ongoing Arkansas Catholic's 'Guardian Angels' project launched in October 2010.

Arkansas Catholic offices are located at St. John Center in Little Rock.   Hidden away from public sight where few people can visit is the archives.  Rooms are filled with historical items and records containing diocesan history.  Little Rock Diocese is 168 years old.

A part of one room is filled with boxes and bound volumes of 100 years of Arkansas Catholic issues. Bishop John M. Morris founded the newspaper on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1911.  It was called The Southern Guardian.  A couple of years later, it was known just as The Guardian.  Many  longtime residents still call the newspaper The Guardian.  On its 75^th anniversary, The Guardian’s name was changed to Arkansas Catholic.

The paper used for news print is not designed to last for an extended period of time, even under the best conditions.  Consider the almost 100 years of The Southern Guardian, The Guardian and Arkansas Catholic, and you’ll understand the perilous condition of our archives and the history they hold through generations of Catholic people, churches, priests, and families in Arkansas.  The early editions are crumbling away, and those of subsequent years are in jeopardy .

 

But think about the early families and parishes of our diocese.  When parishes come up on their centennials or important anniversaries, they often go looking for newspaper clippings and such to document their history for the younger generations and new parishioners.  But the Arkansas Catholic staff is very limited in how they can help.  No one can review or copy bound volumes from 1911 to 1950 for fear of further damage.

Plus there is no way to do a thorough search on all of the articles written about a particular person or place.  From 2002 to the present, there is a complete digital archive that is searchable. But from 1911 to 2001, it is pretty much the luck of the draw on what can be used for research.  For the centennial, the Arkansas Catholic staff made a commitment that they aren’t going to continue to let this diocesan history deteriorate further. It’s possible to save it and make it available in a way it’s never been previously used.

Technology and hard work offer an opportunity to digitize the complete archives and make them available on the internet.

In October we launched the Guardian Angels campaign to raise money for this project. I am happy to report that we have raised nearly $10,000 of our $15,000 first-year goal. This project is a big undertaking and is expected to last 5 to 8 years.

Another aspect of our Guardian Angel campaign is to redesign the newspaper to improve readability and appeal to new readers.  Professional advice and skilled technical work were required to redesign the newspaper and upgrade the website.

The Knights of Columbus statewide have been no stranger to the importance of our newspaper and website.  The Knights have made a $2,000 donation each year to help pay for about 133 free subscriptions to pastors, religious houses, and those who can’t afford it.  Last year the Knights generously agreed to pay for the 345 copies each week that go into many of our schools. The knights also increased its financial support for the diocesan web site to $2,000.

Father Elser and Sacred Heart of Jesus parish have also been very supportive, handing out hundreds of free copies of the newspaper each week..  Arkansas Catholic is very impressed with the commitments of the Knights of Columbus and especially our friends in Hot Springs Village. We ask for your continued financial and prayerful support for the Guardian Angel campaign.