High school student creates local newspaper for Chassell parish

The U.P. Catholic

A Catholic homeschooled teenager named Hannah Williams hailing from Houghton has utilized her passion for writing to create a local newspaper for parishioners of St. Anne Parish in Chassell and St. Albert the Great University Parish in Houghton. “One of my passions in life has been writing, and I have been blessed to be able to use that gift to create a newsletter for my parish,” Williams said.

Williams shared that the idea for St. Catherine’s Chronicle (fondly called St. Cat’s) was originally going to be a family newspaper, simply documenting whatever her family was doing. “It was created in the style of the newsletter created by the March sisters in ‘Little Women,’ and named after St. Catherine of Siena, the patron saint of our homeschool,” she said.

Williams wrote the first edition of the newsletter around Christmas of 2023, she said, “It somehow made its way into the hands of Fr. Ben Hasse, who declared that it should expand to cover all of the news at St. Anne’s in Chassell, the parish my family and I attend.” She said that it was also influenced by STAG News, a student-run newsletter at St. Albert the Great University Parish. “St. Cat’s is more or less the ‘off-brand’ version of STAG News. St. Cat’s has now reached 27 editions, and after a small break through July and August, will continue into the school year,” Williams said.

“There is almost always something happening at St. Anne’s, which means there is always something to write about,” she said with the “View from the Pew” being one of the favorite columns of readers of the St. Catherine’s Chronicle. It is an article that documents whatever escapades the children of St. Anne take part in during Mass that week. “We feature upcoming events and a main article about whatever has been happening at St. Anne’s. I’m planning on expanding St. Cat’s this school year to include a comic strip, articles and creative writing from parishioners, and more!” Williams added.

Currently, Williams is the only one who works on the St. Catherine’s Chronicle, but she said that it has become harder and harder to complete it each week due to her schedule. “St. Anne’s is attended by a lot of families, which means that there are a lot of kids,” she said. “I’m considering asking them to join the St. Cat’s team, and help write articles, create a comic strip, come up with contests, and whatever else they want St. Cat’s to include.”

St. Catherine’s Chronicle is mainly sent to parishioners at St. Anne, as well as some students from St. Albert the Great University Parish. “My target audience is mainly the Catholic community in my area, specifically at St. Anne’s and St. Al’s,” Williams said.
Williams said that working on the newsletter and creating it has impacted her faith. “St. Cat’s has given me a view of how much community there is in our area, especially in our small parish,” she said. Williams said that it has also made her realize that there are so many different ways that one can glorify God in everyday tasks and creative areas. “If writing a newsletter for my church is my way of glorifying God, then that is fantastic,” she remarked.

In the time of the Eucharistic Revival, Williams said that the Eucharist is the most beautiful mystery in the Catholic Church and that it has greatly helped her faith. “I think a lot of the time the Eucharist is an underwhelming experience, even for Catholics, who walk away from Mass each Sunday without realizing the beauty it holds,” she said. “But it is such a beautiful mystery! In a world where there is so much noise and drama and constant attention, how wonderful it is that the Eucharist comes to us silently, unchanging in appearance, humble in form, but so beautiful and holy.”

Williams also added some advice that she wanted to share. “Use your talents to glorify God. Whatever job you have, there is always some way to give glory to God in it, even if it is just working with a heart open to God’s grace,” she said. “And don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and do something hard. St. Cat’s never would have been created if I hadn’t said yes and dedicated time and energy to it.”

To read this story and others in The U.P. Catholic, visit https://www.upcatholic.org/