Western New York Catholic
Monthly newspaper from Buffalo, NY
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Western New York Catholic (formerly Magnificat, Catholic Union and Echo,[1] Catholic Union and Times and The Catholic Union) was a monthly newspaper published by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York, founded in 1872.[2][3][4][5][6] The paper ceased publication in September 2025.[7]
| Type | Monthly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Print and online |
| Owner | Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo |
| Founder(s) | Rev. Dr. Louis A. Lambert and Bishop Stephen V. Ryan |
| Publisher | Diocese of Buffalo |
| Founded | 1872 (as The Catholic Union) |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Buffalo, New York |
| Website | wnycatholic |
History
Rev. Dr. Louis A. Lambert[8] and Bishop Stephen V. Ryan[9][10] founded The Catholic Union in 1872 in Waterloo, New York.[3] It became The Catholic Union and Times[11] after a merger[3] in 1881.[12] Editors included Katherine Eleanor Conway and Irish-American community leader and priest Patrick Cronin (1836–1905).[3] In August 1939, another merger with The Catholic Echo[13] created the Catholic Union and Echo.[1] Horace Frommelt was an editor,[14] and Father William P. Solleder a managing director,[15][16] in the early 1940s, and the paper took an anti-war stance.[17][18] Bishop James McNulty sought a name change in 1963, and a public naming contest resulted in the title Magnificat being adopted.[19] In March 1966, the body of then editor, Reverend Monsignor Francis J. O'Connor, was found floating in Scajaquada Creek with facial bruises.[20] The publication became known as the Western New York Catholic in 1981.[1]
