COVID-19 and CFN Operations – Important Updates

June 2020 Edition Now Available – Preview HERE

Dear Friends in Christ,

Over the past few months, the world has been in the throes of a pandemic which, regardless of the actual level of threat it poses to human health and safety, has impacted nearly all spheres of life due to restrictions that have been imposed by those in authority. Whether or not certain restrictions are necessary for the common good is certainly debatable (see here and here, for example), but the fact that they continue to interrupt many normal activities of personal and professional life is undeniable.

Like many other organizations, Catholic Family News has been impacted by COVID-related restrictions. Our business office and warehouse, located in Canada near the border with New York, were deemed “non-essential” by the provincial government of Ontario and thus not eligible to remain open during the shutdown. This means that our administrative staff, who normally work on-site to process new subscriptions and renewals, have not been able to do so since late March.

Furthermore, the continued closure of the U.S.-Canadian border (aside from “essential travel”) has made it practically impossible for staff to retrieve our U.S. mail (including subscriptions/renewals) and bring it back to our office for processing. Thus, even if our office was allowed to open, the border closure (recently extended until June 21) would still pose a significant obstacle to our ability to conduct essential business tasks.

For those subscribers who have experienced paper delivery problems or other customer service issues over the past few months, all of us at CFN offer our sincere apologies and humbly ask for your continued patience. We are doing everything in our power to keep the presses rolling and papers shipping in a timely manner during this difficult time.

For those who have mailed in payment either for a new subscription or a subscription renewal, please know that we will process your order at the earliest opportunity possible – and further, that your subscription will not expire until 12 months after the date of processing (everyone will receive the 12 issues of CFN for which they paid). Similarly, for those who have purchased an “E-Edition + Print Delivery” subscription ($42/year) through our website, we will extend your subscription (beginning from the time we are able to update our database at the office) to ensure that you receive a full year of print delivery service.

Finally, for those who would like to subscribe now, we are currently offering our “E-Edition Only” option for $32/year, which includes access to the full monthly paper in electronic format. Since we are unable to process new “Print Delivery” orders at this time, we have decided to remove the “E-Edition + Print Delivery” option until our office is allowed to re-open.

As we continue to endure these challenging times, let us turn with confidence to Our Lord, Who says to each one of us: “Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you and learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29). O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make our hearts like unto Thine!

Sincerely in the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts,

Matt Gaspers, Managing Editor