The official newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria is ceasing publication after a 90-year run.
Though the paper's roots and coverage were religious in nature, the reasons for its end are all too familiar for those in the secular news sector. In a letter to subscribers, Bishop Lou Tylka said the Catholic Post has faced declining subscriptions, increasing costs, and a shrinking workforce.
Tylka noted it's been particularly difficult to find a successor for longtime editor Tom Dermody following his retirement.
"The reality of not finding an editor, as well as an assessment of costs, has forced me to make the decision to no longer publish the Catholic Post as it exists now," Tylka wrote.
The paper was started as The Register in 1934, as part of a chain of diocesan newspapers published in Denver. It was renamed the Catholic Post in 1969 when production and printing was moved in-house.
In 2022, the Catholic Post won four awards, including third place for best newspaper, in the Catholic Media Association of the United States and Canada's annual press awards.
Tylka said stories will be posted to the diocesan website for now, but he hopes to develop a wider communication plan. The Peoria Diocese covers 26 counties in Central Illinois, stretching from Rock Island to Danville.
A final issue in the coming month will look back on the legacy of the Catholic Post.
