By Peter G. Sánchez, Mary McCusker and Michael Walsh
After 32 years with the Catholic Star Herald, Carl Peters retired July 16 as managing editor. A well-earned retirement awaits him, but not before we give him a proper goodbye and pull back the curtain a bit on who has been leading this paper for so many years.
Perhaps it is best to view Carl through a spiritual spectrum, by looking to one of the great Catholic wordsmiths. In addition to being a prolific writer, Saint Francis de Sales became widely respected for his deep faith and gentle approach. He was quoted as saying, “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”
No one in the Diocese of Camden exemplifies this saint quite like Carl Peters, who for more than three decades, with a steady hand and demeanor, has expertly contributed to and guided the Diocese’s news outlet – be it joyful (papal visits, graduations, Bishop installations) or challenging (all manner of Catholic crises we know too well now).
“In many dioceses across our country, diocesan newspapers have been eliminated due to declining revenue or interest. However, in my time in the Diocese of Camden, I am pleased to report that has NEVER been a consideration,” said Bishop Dennis Sullivan. “The value of the Catholic Star Herald to the faithful in South Jersey is simply too great. Carl Peters, for more than three decades, has provided much of that value. Under his watch, the newspaper has successfully weathered these very turbulent times, and he deserves a great deal of credit for steering it so wisely.”
Indeed, it takes the rare combination of strength and gentleness to oversee a Catholic publication in New Jersey – the most densely populated U.S. state as well as one of the most politically and culturally diverse. Few have done it as successfully as Carl in carrying out this role at the Catholic Star Herald, first as a staff writer and then, for more than a quarter-century, its calm, cool and collected, yet clever, managing editor.
An accomplished journalist, Carl weaves together his passionate faith and his equally dedicated interests in such topics as film, jazz and literature. With his words, he deepens the faith, stirs curiosity and awakens the imagination of his column’s readers.
Of course, it is possible that Carl’s effectiveness was also born out of his first vocation. Teacher. Before coming aboard at the Catholic Star Herald, Carl spent seven years as a teacher at Saint Jude School in Blackwood, where he taught seventh and eighth grades. Though he left the formal title behind when he began as a staff writer in 1989, it seems that no one who worked with Carl ever stopped learning from him – his readers, his staff, his coworkers.
Like all of us, there have been personal storms, yet Carl’s nature continued to offer only stability to his colleagues. His beloved wife of 35 years, Denise – who also is remembered as an extraordinary teacher, writer, mentor and person – passed away in November 2017. Despite personal suffering, Carl always made room to carry the crosses of others. Several months later, beloved staff member Dennis Ezekiel died from pancreatic cancer after working as a sales representative for 22 years, leaving staff shattered.
Said Tom O’Shea, production coordinator and graphic designer, “Carl was a great boss, but he was an even better human being. The kindness, understanding and generosity he showed me when I felt like my world was crumbling down around me — after finding out my father had terminal cancer just a few months before my mother suffered a massive stroke — can never be repaid.”
Carl has endured the ever-changing Catholic and newspaper landscape with grace, engendering both the trust of five Bishops and the admiration of his newsprint colleagues.
He has remained connected with the various Catholic communities throughout South Jersey, while also preserving the voices of many writers, a task always done with thoughtfulness and kind judgement.
Everything that Carl does, he does well – as a managing editor, a writer, a mentor, a friend, and as a deeply revered and widely respected pillar of Catholic journalism.
He has earned a break from all the craziness of the job, but do not worry, this is not the last you have seen from him. He has promised Bishop Sullivan many more columns.
Michael Walsh is associate publisher of the Catholic Star Herald. Peter G. Sánchez, staff writer, and Mary McCusker, correspondent, contributed to this article.
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