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Today we have a matching grant challenge! NCR board director Tom Bertelsen pledged
to match the next $5,000 that comes in. Donate now [[link removed]]
and your contribution will be doubled!
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Dear Reader,
Today is my first day as the new executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter.
I've been transitioning into the job for the past two months -- just as the coronavirus
pandemic exploded in the United States. It has been, to put it mildly, a bit of
a baptism by fire.

My visions of slowly learning the editing side of the organization were abandoned
to move quickly to cover this breaking story, which -- as many news stories do --
was also affecting those of us reporting on it.
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As NCR staff settled into our home offices, stocked up on toilet paper and got our
children set up for e-learning, we also:

* launched the Coronavirus Tracker [[link removed]]
to update readers daily on religion-related news;
* polled two dozen leaders on how this might change the "Church after coronavirus
[[link removed]]";
* offered practical "news you can use" on religious ed at home [[link removed]]
and livestreamed Masses [[link removed]];
* reached out to readers to hear their experiences of kindness [[link removed]],
spirituality [[link removed]]
and grief;
* provided amazing video resources from musician Dan Schutte [[link removed]]
during Holy Week;
* and, most recently, started a new project on "Saints Next Door" to honor the living
and the dead during this crisis.
During times like this, we all realize how important independent journalism
is: for giving us information, providing transparency and accountability, telling
untold and marginalized stories, and even offering inspiration and hope. We are,
in many ways, an "essential service."
As executive editor, I -- and the editorial team I'm lucky to work with -- am
up to the challenge. But it is a challenge. We face our own travel limitations,
personal stresses, health challenges and organizational funding shortfalls.
That's where you come in. If you are able to help support NCR's mission -- and
me, as its new executive editor -- it would be greatly appreciated. This year's
Spring Fund Drive is more important than ever, so we can not only continue the
important, independent journalism we've always done, but so I can pursue my many
creative ideas about how to improve NCR.
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Click above to watch a brief video message [[link removed]]
from NCR Executive Editor Heidi Schlumpf.
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My vision includes adding new, diverse voices to our pages, doing more with multimedia
and social media and always holding our church and political leaders accountable,
especially during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you. Your generosity can help me succeed as NCR's new editor.
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Gratefully,
Heidi Schlumpf
Executive Editor
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During the Spring Fund Drive, we ask everyone who receives NCR news emails for support.
If you've already contributed, thank you! If you prefer to not receive emails from
NCR, please unsubscribe using the link below.

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