November 1, 2024. Our founder, Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, departed for eternity. You can imagine the flood of emotions that pervaded the souls of his spiritual children. The gaze of the one who had guided us with determination for many years and who, even after his resignation from the executive governance of the Heralds, had continued to exercise his fatherly care over each one, left us forever. His physical presence would be replaced by a supernatural relationship which, although more efficient, requires each of us to practise the virtue of faith.
For this magazine too, Msgr. João’s passing brings about a substantial change. Since the first edition, one of the main articles of our pages has been his unforgettable Gospel commentaries. Not to mention, of course, his directives and advice, which have set the course for this work to this day.
Faced with this irreplaceable absence, we felt that the time had come for a discreet but profound renewal of the magazine, which, while preserving the essence and ideals that have guided our apostolate for twenty-three years, will make its articles even more useful and accessible to the many readers who follow us every month in the most varied parts of the world.
A challenge in an increasingly connected world
The bombardment of information that we are constantly subjected to with the omnipresence of social networks in our lives demands more dynamic and timely articles… a real challenge for a monthly magazine.
Naturally, the articles in Heralds of the Gospel magazine are not bound by this mutability imposed by the speed of the internet and the multiplication of screens. However, increasing the variety and quantity of its content, often with shorter articles that each month revolve around a theme related to the liturgical season or some current interest of the Church, could be a way of making these pages more advantageous for our readers.
New or reformulated sections for a richer and more dynamic magazine
Let us start precisely with the Gospel commentaries, which will no longer be able to count on Msgr. João’s energetic and inspired writing. From now on, The Sunday Liturgy section will feature brief – one-page – but more numerous commentaries, covering the readings for every Sunday and holy day of the current month, written by various Herald priests. When appropriate, in a box called The Power of Example, some of these commentaries will be illustrated with facts that mould the Gospel teachings into living models.
And so as not to miss the presence of the founder, a new section entitled Treasures of Msgr. João will bring to each edition some marvel from the enormous legacy of homilies, conferences and writings left by him to his spiritual children. These pages will complement those that have already existed for some years, with articles by Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, in the section now called A Prophet for Our Times, and about his kind mother, Dona Lucilia.
The Voice of the Popes will also undergo a makeover: it will no longer be confined to the text of a single Pontiff, but will give us a coherent overview of the same theme, travelling through the Papal Magisterium of several centuries.
Each issue will feature several eagle views of Catholic doctrine in brief commentaries, whether from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in the What Does the Catechism Say? section, or from the luminous writings of the Angelic Doctor, in the St. Thomas Explains column.
At the request of our readers, the most relevant subject of each issue, contained in the Theme of the Month section, will often be supplemented by an article on the History of the Church and Christian Civilisation that sheds light on our times, in the space called History – Life’s Teacher, and complemented by the former section of snippets of Catholic culture called Did You Know…, which delighted our more inquisitive readers.
Obsolete sections give way to new ideas
It seemed opportune that The Saints of Each Day and the Church and World Events sections, which have accompanied us since the early days of the magazine, should give way to other topics, considering the easy access we now have to such information in a hyper-connected world.
In turn, Our Readers Write section, which appeared at a time when the use of email was not yet widespread, has been replaced by Our Readers Ask, which will allow everyone to have direct contact with Fr. Ricardo José Basso, EP, and ask him about doctrinal, moral or Herald-related issues.
Finally, the last pages of the magazine, which have always been dedicated to contemplating some splendour of Catholic creation or art, will be given a new focus. While maintaining the aim of arousing admiration for wonders that elevate our souls to God, they will also seek to form criteria, in a combative perspective of contrast between good and evil, truth and error, beauty and ugliness, which will help us to effectively mould our Catholic way of thinking in everyday life. Hence its name Tendencies and Mentalities.
Redesigned presentation for more enjoyable reading
Accompanying these changes, the magazine’s layout has undergone a carefully studied renovation, aimed at creating a pleasant visual identity with its digital edition, which is increasingly penetrating the virtual world, as well as a more pleasant and varied presentation in terms of colours and structure for the hundreds of thousands of readers of the printed edition. As well as all the common features, each section will have its own distinctive name, which will make it easier to identify them as you browse through the pages.
We hope, with Our Lady’s help, that the changes made will further strengthen the strong bonds that unite us with our faithful readers and, through her intercession, make this monthly publication an ever greater instrument for bringing them closer to Jesus Christ and His Holy Church. ◊
