Editor Michael F. Flach issued a request to readers in the Sept. 9, 1993, issue of the Arlington Catholic Herald.
“Herald readers have requested that we launch our own ‘apologetics column,’ ” he wrote in an editorial titled “Catholic Apologetics.” He continued, “Father William P. Saunders, president of the Notre Dame Catechetical Institute in Arlington, has agreed to ‘answer’ questions of general Catholic interest.” Flach invited readers to send in any questions about the Catholic faith.
Several weeks later, Father Saunders penned the first of many articles, “What is Apologetics?” for “Straight Answers,” a catechetical column that ran in the Catholic Herald for 15 years.
Parishioners from around the diocese submitted the questions for the most part. Questions ranged from “Was Christ really born Dec. 25?” to “Is baptism necessary for salvation?” Msgr. Saunders, who was made a monsignor in September 2024, would include a tagline stating where the reader was from, such as “A reader from Arlington.”
“But then there were questions that came from fellow priests,” he said. “So, (Msgr. Robert J.) Rippy was a reader in Crystal City. Father (Daniel S.) Spychala was a reader in Falls Church.” His own family joined in: “My mom was the reader in Springfield.” Even Bishop John R. Keating submitted a few questions.
The column served as a testament to the widespread reach of the Herald. “I even got questions from across the country,” Msgr. Saunders said. He said the column made its way into the occasional theology class. “Father William B. Schierer said that when he was in high school, that was his assignment, to read the Herald for theology class,” he said.
Before the internet, Msgr. Saunders would hunt down the answers in theology textbooks. “I enjoyed writing (about) things like purgatory,” he remembered. “It really helped me better my own appreciation and understanding,” about the faith.
One memorable question produced a series of columns. “One of the hardest to put together was the (question) on contraception, because it was a four- or five-part column,” he said. “You have to word it just right.”
The column became so popular among readers that Father Saunders published two books under the same name as the column: “Straight Answers” and “Straight Answers II.”
“People were telling me they’ve kept all the articles, and they have these boxes of newspaper articles,” he said. “So, I thought, ‘Take the best and put them into a book.’ ”
The advent of the internet made “Straight Answers” go viral. When the Herald launched its website in 1996, “Straight Answers” articles immediately became among the site’s most popular. More than 15 years after the column ended, the articles still remain popular. Last year, “Straight Answers” articles hit more than 14,000 clicks.
Today, Msgr. Saunders said he looks back on the column as a “labor of love.”
“When I felt like quitting, somebody would always come up and say how much they enjoyed it, especially when you had young people say that it helped them in their faith,” he said. “That’s what I really am very grateful for.”
