The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is extending its multimedia outreach within Orange County by launching a Spanish-language counterpart to its weekly Orange County Catholic newspaper.
Orange County Catholic En Español will debut as a bi-weekly Spanish-language newspaper publishing every other Sunday, beginning Sept. 20, with a digital replica available through occatholic.com. Combined, the English- and Spanish-language newspapers will reach an audience of more than 100,000.
Both English- and Spanish-language editions are published in partnership with Freedom Communications.
“As the Catholic population continues to grow, our diocese must also expand the ways we connect and communicate with the faithful in our community,” said Bishop Vann. “Orange County Catholic En Español is an important vehicle to bring inspirational stories of faith and news through a Catholic lens to our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters. It is our playful hope that the content included within this newspaper will grow understanding and deepen the faith of our community.”
“It is exciting to extend our collaboration with the diocese and build upon our shared mission of serving the Orange County community,” said Freedom CEO and Register Publisher Rich Mirman. “Orange County Catholic En Español will be a terrific complement to Excélsior and La Prensa in serving the Latino market in Orange County.”
Orange County Catholic En Español will have a 25,000 bi-weekly distribution throughout Orange County, and specifically within Hispanic-dominant communities such as Santa Ana and Anaheim. It will be available at more than 330 retail and news rack locations within high-traffic retail locations, which includes distribution alongside Freedom’s weekly Spanish-language newspaper, Excélsior. Copies will also be distributed at 25 predominately Spanish-speaking parishes.
Orange County Catholic En Español will cover the latest news, trends, family and social issues, and faith experiences of specific relevance to Spanish-speaking Latinos in Orange County. The 12- to 16-page newspaper will also profile inspiring leaders and ministries that are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, and include a column from Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange. Additionally, the newspaper will include features and a robust events calendar to help followers connect with one another and live out their faith.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange oversees content development under the leadership of its editor, Pat Mott. Freedom’s Custom Content unit oversees production elements such as sourcing freelance contributors, design, printing, ad sales and distribution.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange partnered with Freedom Communications in October 2013 to publish its 15 year-old Orange County Catholic newspaper and extend its reach within Orange County. One third of Orange County’s population, or 1.5 million, are Catholic. A four-page Spanish translation within the English edition will transition into the new Orange County Catholic En Español edition after Sept. 13.
Orange County Catholic’s English-language circulation has grown from 47,000 in 2013 to more than 80,000, and is now the largest Catholic weekly newspaper in the nation.
Since establishing the partnership, Orange County Catholic has introduced several improvements, which include:
- expanding its distribution from monthly to weekly
- shifting distribution from Wednesdays to Sundays
- introducing an Orange County Catholic mobile app
- launching a weekly e-newsletter
- redesigning its occatholic.com website to include dozens of podcasts and videos, from international coverage of the Vatican to local Trinity League sports
Orange County Catholic is available for free to subscribers of The Orange County Register who request it through occatholic.com/subscribe, by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 877-627-7009. It is also distributed through more than 80 local parishes and Catholic schools.