Archdiocesan Directory and Yearbook to go online exclusively

By Brandon A. Evans

After printing an official Directory and Yearbook for more than 30 years, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has decided to offer the full directory online for free and to cease publishing a print version.

The current directory can now be viewed in separate PDF files at www.archindy.org/directory or as one large file. The files can also be downloaded or printed.

The annual publication contains information about parishes, pastors, parish staff, schools and their staffs, religious education staff, archdiocesan administration, offices and agencies, telephone numbers, Mass times, parish addresses and e-mail addresses. It also includes photos and biographical information for priests, deacons, parish life coordinators, religious women and men ministering in the archdiocese, Catholic chaplaincies, hospitals, colleges and other institutions.

“We have been moving toward an online version of the Archdiocesan Directory for quite a while,” said Greg Otolski, executive director of communications, which oversees Criterion Press, Inc. “For the past several years, we have been increasing the amount of information about the archdiocese on the archdiocesan website.”

In previous years, the 300-plus page directory was mailed to every parish and made available for purchase online or at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis.

This year, a “mini-directory” was printed exclusively for parishes, and the entire directory was placed online. It looks on a computer screen exactly as it would look in print. People who would like a printed version of the directory can make copies on their printer at home.

How the directory will look in the future and in what way it will be available is uncertain, especially because the directory files are only updated once a year, whereas parish listings at www.archindy.org/parishes and priest and staff listings at www.archindy.org/staff are updated regularly.

“We are constantly evaluating the archdiocesan website and looking for the best and simplest way to give readers the information they want about the archdiocese and its parishes, schools and agencies,” Otolski said.

Past issues of the directory, including the inaugural two-part edition in 1978, can be viewed upon request at the Catholic Center, 1400 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis.

Questions about the new online version of the directory or any problems accessing the files should be directed to webmaster@archindy.org.

(To browse the 2012 Archdiocesan Directory and Yearbook online, log on to www.archindy.org/directory.) †