By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

Lois Rogers, who with her knowledge, ability and gift to tell compelling stories and share the Good News of the Diocese of Trenton with Catholic households in every issue of The Monitor, is bringing a close to her 11-year career with the diocesan newspaper on Oct. 11.

“Lois has shared her irrepressible enthusiasm, her artistic flair and her love of the faith with the readers of The Monitor through every story she’s written. Whether reporting on a social justice issue or covering a kids’ Christmas concert, Lois has brought her stories to life and given us a sense of Catholic community in the Diocese of Trenton,” said Rayanne Bennett, diocesan executive director of communications and associate publisher of The Monitor. “We share in her joy as she begins this next chapter of her life, but we are counting on her ongoing contributions to this newspaper as a freelance correspondent.”

Rogers, who holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Montclair State College, Montclair, reflected on her longtime journalistic career. Prior to joining The Monitor staff in 2002, she worked for many years and on numerous beats for the Asbury Park Press, including as a religion writer.

“I was around people of faith all the time,” she said of the invaluable experience she gained through encountering those of various faith traditions. She noted that some of her major stories included interviewing the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dalai Lama, covering Mother Teresa’s June 18, 1995, visit to St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and Pope John Paul II’s visit to the United States in October, 1995.

Though as a secular press reporter it was her duty to cover stories in a “fair and balanced” manner, regardless of the religion involved, it was through her religion writing that helped Rogers to strengthen her enthusiasm and love for her own Catholic faith and beliefs. And when the opportunity came her way to combine her passion for writing and her Catholic faith by working for The Monitor, it was one she couldn’t let pass by.

Topping the host of headlines which Rogers regarded as a privilege to witness and report on during her years with The Monitor included – two papal transitions and welcoming a new diocesan bishop. She particularly enjoyed making countless visits to the parishes and schools in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties and enjoyed sharing the precious stories of Catholic faithful who proudly call these parishes their spiritual homes.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is that the universal nature of the Church manifests itself right within the four counties of the diocese,” Rogers said, speaking of many cultures of people who comprise the Church of Trenton.

“It’s like a banquet, a moveable feast of people and tradition,” she said. “I loved every minute and relished covering and writing about these various experiences.”

Rogers’ eyes mist when she thinks of the vast coverage she has provided on the life, death and legacy of Blessed John Paul II, a man to whom she has great devotion and from whom she seeks inspiration through prayer. She’s also especially proud of her two major columns that she introduced during her Monitor tenure – Keeping the Feast and At Issue, and having her work acknowledged on a national level with several awards from the Catholic Press Association.

As Rogers prepares to settle in retirement, she’s looking forward to spending more leisure time at home in her “little blue house” that sits by a lake in Ocean County, visiting her many friends and having more opportunities to travel to Delaware to see her beloved family – brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Kate, four nieces and nephews and, most especially, her new three-month-old grandniece.

While in retirement, Rogers will appreciate having a break from the daily work routine and responsibilities that go along with putting a newspaper to bed, she is ready to continue to serve the diocese as a freelance writer. In the Oct. 24, issue, Monitor readers will see Rogers’ byline on several stories including her follow-up coverage of the Oct. 19 diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.