One aspect of Maria Wiering’s job that she loves is that there is no typical day. As editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the work “keeps us on our toes and it keeps us interested and, hopefully, interesting,” she said.
Wiering’s day starts early, checking the news to see what happened overnight so she gets a sense of what her day will look like. “The day that I had planned … might not be the day I’m actually going to have as soon as I see some headlines,” breaking news or emailed information, she said.
Maria Wiering
One example of a day’s focus quickly changing occurred when she was working in 2013 for The Catholic Review, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Wiering said. She read on Twitter early that morning that Pope Benedict was resigning, so she rushed to the office, knowing that the day’s plans were upended by the news.
Wiering recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss what happens behind the scenes at The Catholic Spirit as the team produces print and digital news and feature stories.
Staff members meet every morning at 9:30 to review status of stories, what needs to post on the website that day, and production-related updates related to the print edition, she said.
Those daily meetings always begin with prayer, Wiering said. “I think that really roots us in our mission and who we are and what we’re doing, and who we’re doing this for,” she said. Staff members also pray for specific intentions, whether office-related, for Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Joseph Williams, “and also just for the people that we know, the intentions on our hearts,” she said.
The Catholic Spirit team includes News Editor Joe Ruff, Staff Photographer and Writer Dave Hrbacek, Reporter Barb Umberger, Multimedia Communications Coordinator Michael Pytleski, Graphics and Layout Coordinator Caron Olhoft, administrative staff members Jackie Dougherty and Lynn Hartmann and Advertising Manager Chris Pierskalla.
Support also comes from other members of the Office of Communications, she said. “We just have a lot of collaboration,” Wiering said.
Listeners interested in receiving a print copy of The Catholic Spirit have two options, Wiering said: First, call their parish and ask to be added to the parish’s list of those receiving a copy by mail at no cost; or second, buy a subscription by calling The Catholic Spirit or visiting TheCatholicSpirit.com. Readers can also follow The Catholic Spirit’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
To hear the full interview, tune in to the 9 p.m. Aug. 12 “Practicing Catholic” show, which repeats at 1 p.m. Aug. 13 and 2 p.m. Aug. 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses the creed and prayer of the faithful on this month’s episode of “Mass Class;” and Father Michael Van Sloun, director of clergy personnel at the archdiocese, who discusses the meaning and importance of the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired at:
Recent Comments