Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
For more than 87 years, The Leaven and its predecessor, The Eastern Kansas Register, have helped Catholics across Northeast Kansas remain connected to the life and mission of our local church. For many of you, receiving The Leaven in your mailbox is a treasured experience and valued part of that connection. I am grateful for your loyalty to the newspaper and for the important place it holds in our archdiocese.
In the past, The Leaven would resume a weekly publication from September through mid-May. Beginning this fall, our print schedule will continue every other week year-round. I recognize this will be a change for our longtime readers, and I want you to understand the reasons for this decision.
The cost of printing and mailing a newspaper continues to rise exponentially. At the same time, postal delays mean that our households do not receive The Leaven until several days or more after it has been published. For a newspaper, particularly one reporting on a very active archdiocese, that delay presents a real challenge.
Remaining on a biweekly print schedule will allow us to devote more of our resources to providing news when it is most useful to you, while continuing to produce the printed newspaper our readers love.
Beginning in October, we will launch a biweekly email newsletter featuring timely news and features from across the archdiocese. We will also strengthen The Leaven’s online presence so that stories can be shared more quickly as they happen. The e-newsletter will be available free of charge to anyone who wishes to receive it. To subscribe, please sign up at: theleaven.org/email-sign-up.
We recognize the way people receive information has evolved, even more so for our younger generations. As the archdiocese’s primary news source, we have a responsibility to meet our people where they are, using the resources available to share the life of the church more effectively and proclaim the Gospel with greater reach. Strengthening our digital channels is not a replacement for the printed Leaven; it is an additional way to ensure the good news of Christ can reach people more effectively.
Please be assured of our commitment to making each edition of The Leaven relevant and meaningful to our readers. We are looking for ways to enrich its coverage by adding more local stories throughout every corner of our archdiocese and including new features such as volunteer opportunities and baptismal announcements celebrating the newest members of our Catholic family.
We will continue telling the stories of the Catholic community of northeast Kansas, helping us recognize the many ways Christ is at work among us.
Thank you for reading The Leaven and for your continued commitment to remaining connected to our local church. I am
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Shawn McKnight
Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas
Publisher, The Leaven
