Thank you for downloading this special edition of The Southern Cross! From the outset, let me clarify that this edition does not replace the normal monthly issue. The October issue is out for sale already, and the November issue will be out before the end of October.
The issue on this page is a special edition to mark our first year as a magazine.
So, why this free 80-page digital-only edition? Well, we hope that many people who didn’t know about The Southern Cross magazine before will do so now, and that those who were reluctant to read it — maybe because they thought it’s full of dull churchy stuff — will see that this is a vibrant and engaging publication which they’ll want to read every month.
For this reason, we are asking you to do something which we normally wouldn’t want done with our monthly editions: Please circulate this free issue as widely as you can, by whatever means. Send it to your WhatsApp contacts, your Facebook Messenger groups, your e-mail list, even pass it around on a memory stick. Upload it to your Catholic website, if you have one. Share the download link — www.scross.co.za/sc-first-year — with the world on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, and so on.
Tell the world about The Southern Cross!
Because we are not a news magazine — for your fix of Catholic news, visit our website at www.scross.co.za — our content stays fresh long after the publication date. This collection of pages is proof of that. Over these 80 pages, we feature just some of the great articles that appeared in the magazine between October 2020 and September 2021 (look at the foot of the pages, next to the page numbers, to see in which issues each article first appeared).
Of course, over those 12 months we have published many more personality profiles, insightful articles, and spiritually enriching reflections than are featured here. And over those 12 months, there have been 11 more Saints of the Month, 11 more columns by Raymond Perrier, Nthabiseng Maphisa, Fr Ron Rolheiser or Fr Chris Chatteris, 11 more Prayer Corners, 11 more puzzles pages, colourised photos from Catholic history, and so on.
We are convinced that every edition of The Southern Cross has something for every Catholic, and some things for all Catholics.
Many Catholics in South Africa know The Southern Cross as the independent national Catholic newspaper, with an unbroken record of weekly publication from October 1920 to September 2020. Read about the rich history of The Southern Cross, beginning on page 44.
Then came the coronavirus! After almost 100 years since the first publication, we transitioned from being a weekly newspaper to a monthly magazine. Even if it doesn’t look like it, this magazine is currently running on a shoestring budget and scant resources. The pandemic and its effects has wiped out all our reserves. Now we rebuild. That is why we need your help! You can do so by subscribing to The Southern Cross (it’s easy to do online at digital.scross.co.za/subscriptions or email Pamela at ), and by encouraging others to do so. If they are shy about subscribing because they don’t know how good the magazine is, send them this special issue.
Talk about the magazine. If your parish isn’t stocking it, or not enough copies, ask them to order the magazine (Pamela will help). If the magazine is poorly displayed in the church, suggest an improvement — or even put together a team to actively sell The Southern Cross every week!
If you are a parish priest, please talk about the magazine at the end of Mass. Even a mention of one or two articles a week can make a huge difference. Monthly headlines and poster designs are available by email from our office — sign up for that service (again, Pamela will help)!
Our Associates Campaign keeps us alive. For information on how to join this way of supporting The Southern Cross and our outreach programmes financially, please go to page 46.
We believe that The Southern Cross magazine entertains, edifies, educates, elucidates, evangelises and enhances people’s faith. A home with The Southern Cross on the proverbial coffee table is a home where the Catholic Church is alive. So, yes, our hope is that when you’ve read through this edition, you’ll want to subscribe or ask your parish to stock the monthly magazine. Order HERE. And we hope that you’ll want every fellow Catholic to read it (especially if they currently read other Christian magazines).
Please enjoy this special collection of articles, and pass it on widely, around South Africa and the world! And don’t forget to subscribe or buy the magazine at your parish next weekend!
God bless,
Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)
