For Spanish-speaking readers in the Archdiocese of Louisville, access to Catholic news is expanding.
In collaboration with the Office of Hispanic Ministry, The Record has launched a monthly Spanish-language e-newsletter and bilingual social media content.
Improving communication to the Hispanic community is essential, said Eva Gonzalez, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry. The news conveys “what is going on, what opportunities we have locally, what is happening at the national level, and even the international level,” she said.
“Knowing what is available and what is happening will help us to make decisions, to discern in a better way, to transform the way that we live and our thinking,” she said.
The Record has provided Spanish translations of columns by the Archbishops of Louisville for more than two decades. In January of 2018, The Record began producing “Vida Católica,” a printed Spanish section published in the last print edition of each month and on The Record’s website.
In December, The Record launched its monthly newsletter in Spanish. This free e-newsletter highlights local news and events in the Archdiocese of Louisville and national and international news.
The Record has produced a weekly e-newsletter in English since September of 2023 to help share its content more widely in the digital sphere, said Gabrielle Krumpelman, design and digital media specialist for The Record.
The Record is also integrating bilingual content into its social media pages. The Record’s social media presence — which operates in addition to that of the archdiocese — distributes local, national and international news related to the Catholic Church.
These latest initiatives have been influenced by the growth of the Hispanic population both locally and nationally, noted Gonzalez and Krumpelman.
About 18.4% of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Louisville are Hispanic/Latino, according to the USCCB’s Region 5 V Encuentro Report. The Archdiocese of Louisville currently has 13 parishes that offer Mass in Spanish and eight other parishes have a Hispanic/Latino presence.
Nationally, in 2023, 19.3% of the U.S. population was Hispanic/Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau anticipates that by 2060, 26.9% of the U.S. population will be Hispanic/Latino.
Although many Spanish speakers can navigate the English language, providing information in Spanish can increase the reader’s access and depth of understanding, said Gonzalez.
“Communication will awaken the mind of the reader. Maybe there is something (in a story) that you can reflect on, question yourself, go further. And those are opportunities for growth. It can awaken people to start taking action, to be transformed. Your perspective is wider,” she said.
The Office of Hispanic Ministry has produced a monthly Spanish newsletter, which shares information about formation and events, for about four years. This publication will continue its mission alongside The Record’s newsletter.
To sign up for The Record’s monthly Spanish e-newsletter, visit tinyurl.com/c46cbpx3.
Follow The Record on Instagram @recordarchlou and on Facebook @The Record-Archdiocese of Louisville. To sign up for the weekly English e-newsletter, visit tinyurl.com/5yb939zp.
