HUNTINGTON, Ind. (CNS) — Gretchen Crowe has been named the new editor of OSV Newsweekly, the nation’s largest national Catholic weekly newspaper.
Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, announced the appointment. He called Crowe “a bright light in Catholic journalism” who is perfectly suited to the challenges of Catholic publishing in the 21st century.
“Gretchen has the kind of background we value so much,” Erlandson said in a Feb. 28 statement. “She has been trained in the craft of journalism at one of the top journalism schools in the country. She has grass-roots experience in evangelization and ministry, has worked at one of the best diocesan newspapers in the country, and has a passion for social media and the web.”
“She appreciates the big picture and the local details,” he added.
Crowe was most recently senior staff writer and photographer at the Arlington Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington, Va., where she served for almost nine years. She has won numerous awards for writing and photography, including a first-place award from the Catholic Press Association last year for her reporting on World Youth Day.
She succeeds John Norton, who last September left the Catholic press to take a management job in private industry in Southern California. Sarah Hayes, now OSV Newsweekly’s executive editor, served as interim editor.
Crowe has wide experience in social media and the Internet. She helped redesign the Arlington Catholic Herald‘s print edition and website, and helped develop its social media presence.
Crowe graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a minor in French. While at college, Crowe was active in its Newman Center, overseeing liturgy, retreats and faith formation. After graduation, she spent a year of service working in the campus ministry program at Duke University.
“I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the Our Sunday Visitor team,” Crowe said in a statement. “OSV Newsweekly has a rich history with a long tradition of excellence in serving the church. I look forward to the challenge of maintaining that excellence in an increasingly digital and diverse world.”
