The Monitor is the news ministry for the Diocese of Trenton and
has served in this role for the past 65 years.
Since its establishment in 1954 by Bishop George W. Ahr, The Monitor has
published a newspaper that covered news from around the Diocese of Trenton, the
United States and the world. There is
even evidence that The Monitor’s roots go back for more than a century, when an
earlier version served the entire state.
Now, in 2019, The Monitor is marking a milestone. Moving toward an expansion of news content on
its website, TrentonMonitor.com, The Monitor will cease publication of its biweekly
newspaper in September, and launch, in its place, a monthly magazine beginning
in October. Between the website, social media and the new magazine, The Monitor
will continue to bring the diocesan community stories about the people, the
parishes and the faith shared in the Diocese of Trenton.
Here is some background on The Monitor from over the decades:
• While today’s diocesan format of The Monitor was
established 65 years ago, an earlier version of The Monitor dates back more
than 100 years. This discovery came out of the research recently conducted in preparation for an exhibit on the history of the Diocese. The artifact was dated from 1917 and described itself as the “Official
Catholic Weekly of New Jersey,” and reported on the death of Bishop James A.
McFaul, second Bishop of Trenton. (see photo)
• In 1981, when the Diocese of Trenton was split in half to
form the Diocese of Metuchen, The Monitor covered both dioceses, earlier on
within the same edition, and later with two separate editions – one for Trenton
and one for Metuchen. That ended in 1995 when the Diocese of Metuchen
started its own newspaper, The Catholic Spirit.
• Over the years, The Monitor went from a weekly, black and
white newspaper, to a bi-weekly, mostly color newspaper that includes numerous
special sections and several keepsake magazines each year to cover such
milestones as graduations, ordinations, religious anniversary and Anniversary
Blessings of lay couples. The Monitor's most recent magazine reports on the
Diocesan Youth Conference, another annual event that is captured in reporting,
reflections and beautiful photos. The magazine inside this issue reports on the
Diocesan Youth Conference, another annual publication.
• The Monitor now is a multi-faceted Catholic news
operation, publishing and producing a print edition, a digital edition, a
website (TrentonMonitor.com), which is mobile friendly, and a social media
presence on Facebook and Twitter. The Monitor remains the primary content
generator for the Diocese, supplying news reporting, professional photos and
graphics for our publishing work, and for the publicity needs of other diocesan
offices and ministries.
On behalf of our talented and hard-working staff and
freelance partners, and all those who carried this mission forward in past
decades, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve in this ministry, and we
are committed to bringing you quality Catholic news many years to come.
If you are not a subscriber, consider becoming part of this
65-year legacy. Click Here.