PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Last year, The Tablet’s Editor Emeritus Ed Wilkinson debuted his new book, “Chasing Church News,” which chronicles his 50-year career in Catholic journalism, at the annual Bishop’s Luncheon. And it’s safe to say that “Chasing Church News” is a bona fide bestseller throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn and beyond.
Wilkinson presented signed copies of the book, which is filled with his photos of memorable events he covered throughout the diocese between 1970 to 2020, to Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio, and other esteemed clergy and honorees who attended the luncheon.
In addition, upon the book’s release, Wilkinson held a preliminary book signing for guests attending the Cathedral Club dinner. Since then, he has hosted book signings at a dozen churches in the diocese including the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Our Lady of Hope, St. Joan of Arc, St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Bernards, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, and Our Lady of Angels, Wilkinson’s home parish.
Wilkinson will continue to make personal appearances at churches and events throughout the year to promote his book and meet parishioners. And now for the first time, “Chasing Church News” is available for purchase online from The Tablet.
Additionally, a personally signed copy of the book will be gifted to anyone who enrolls in The Tablet Membership Program at the $1,000 Founder level or the $500 Benefactor level. It’s the best way to help support Catholic journalism and receive benefits including a tote bag, lapel pin, baseball cap, invitations to members-only events, free gift subscriptions and Ed’s CMA award-winning book. Upcoming book signings will be announced as they become available.
Wilkinson calls the response to his book very gratifying. “As we would go around the diocese and meet people, it’s quite a compliment when they remember me and come up to me and want to talk about the book,” explained Wilkinson.
“For example, one lady came up to me and recalled a ceremony from back in the 1970s and said that her son was an altar boy at that event. So, you’ve touched these people, but you don’t know it until you meet them all these years later. It’s just so gratifying to feel like you’ve done something that makes a difference in their lives.”
Wilkinson joined The Tablet in 1970 as a reporter, and spent 11 years covering sports for the weekly newspaper before being named editor in 1985. He recalled meeting a reader who was a fan of his sports column, but told Wilkinson that as editor, the greatest thing he ever did was help to create the annual Bright Christmas Fund, which makes sure those in need receive gifts during the holidays.
“He told me that since we started it, he still donates to it every year. So, to know something that you started that is still helping those less fortunate is extremely affirming and gratifying.”
The now-seasoned photographer began taking pictures for The Tablet out of necessity. He recalled the paper was a “small mom-and-pop operation” so that when a reporter went out to do a story they had to take their own photos. And he learned the craft through trial and error.
“I remember the first roll of film I took. I came back to the office and opened up the camera, exposing the whole roll,” he laughed. “Another time I was shooting a CYO championship game and came back and realized I had no film in the camera. Bishop (Francis) Mugavero never let me live it down. He would stop and pose for a photo and then ask me, ‘Are you sure you have film in that camera?’”
Eventually Wilkinson honed his photography skills, from developing and printing his own black and white film for the first 30 years before switching to color and digital by 2000. “We started with an old box camera back in 1970 and we wound up with computers in our hands. It’s just amazing what happened over those last 50 years.”
When Wilkinson retired from The Tablet in 2020, he found the time to author his book, although he continues to contribute to The Tablet and Currents News whenever he is called upon. Selecting the photos was always quite a daunting task, Wilkinson said.
“There were always pictures that stuck in my mind that I knew right away would be in the book,” he explained. “A few had already won prizes that I knew I had to include, and then there were some favorites of mine, like the kid at the hydrant that always resonated with me. There are also a few photos from the Democratic National Convention in 1976 that stood out to me.”
It was when he decided that he wanted to include pictures from all 50 years that things became more complicated and time consuming, as he had to go through all the negatives to find the perfect picture for each year. He called it a “treasure hunt” to go through all the negatives because some were stored away in a warehouse in New Jersey. When he did find them it became more of a “treasure trove” of memories.
And while “Chasing Church News” contains some outstanding photos from The Tablet archives, Wilkinson teases a possible sequel that will include additional photos that he would like to share with his readers.
“There is one picture that I’m sorry did not make it into the book. It was taken in 1974 when there was a major church fire in Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Bushwick. It burned to the ground and I was there while it was still smoldering. It looked like something from the aftermath of World War II.
“I took a picture of a half-mangled corpus on a cross and I had it framed and it’s always been a favorite of mine. For some reason it got away from me and I didn’t add it to the book sequence, although we thought of putting it on the cover. There are other pictures like that I would love to have out there so I’m tempted every once in a while to start working on a sequel,” he added.