By John Norton

How to make full use of an OSV subscription

One of the great fringe benefits of an OSV subscription -- but one that many readers don't seem to know about -- is complete free access to our digital archive of stories.

Through our website, subscribers not only have access to every story (and editorial and column and letter to the editor) dating back to Jan. 1, 2006; they also have access to the current issue the day it is spitting out of a printing press in northern Indiana. That means you see it, in most cases, about a week and a half before the print edition hits your mailbox.

What's even better, we started serving up our online stories with new capabilities last month. Now, with one click, you can generate a printer-friendly version of the story you are interested in, or easily e-mail a copy of it to a friend or family member. You'll also be able to leave comments on articles, and read others, too.

To register as a subscriber on our site is painless; just enter your customer number from the address label, create a username and password, and you are done.

If you are a reader who grabs a copy of the newspaper from the back of your parish church each week, you won't have the same access. But why not take this opportunity to consider getting your own subscription mailed directly to you?

This is not just a marketing pitch. We do need your help in furthering our mission to provide you with the tools, insights and inspiration to see the world through Catholic eyes, especially at this crucial time in our nation's and world's history, and to be connected to other Catholics around the country (and even the world) who are facing many of the same challenges.

We greatly appreciate your subscription to America's most-read national Catholic weekly newspaper. It is very important to us. Please also consider letting others know how much you appreciate Our Sunday Visitor, or even buying a gift subscription for someone you think would benefit.

I know that in these times of economic uncertainty the commitment of paying for a subscription, even our $20 offer for six months (which works out to about 10 cents a day), can make some folks pause.

But you can be confident that supporting us through a subscription is good stewardship of your resources. And we're so confident that new subscribers will be satisfied with our newsweekly that we have a free trial offer (sign up, and if for any reason you decide not to continue after seven issues, simply cancel or don't pay the invoice).

And we always have a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee; you can cancel your subscription at any time and receive your money back on remaining issues.

Thank you for your assistance. As always, please write to me at the address below or at feedback@osv.com.