CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Catholic Register, first published in 1952, will close as part of a reorganization plan for the ministries of the Cheyenne Diocese, Father Michael Carr, diocesan administrator, announced Monday.

In addition, the Family Life, Education, Youth Ministry and Stewardship Offices in Casper will be eliminated and reorganized into a single office in Cheyenne.

"The Register has been a great avenue of communication for the diocese since 1952 and really it's a shame," Carr said Monday in a telephone interview. "We're going to look at doing a periodic bulletin."

The reorganization is necessary, he said, because of a decrease in interest income from investments and lack of additional sources of one-time money.

"The Bishop's Appeal has continued to do well. That's not a problem," he added, referring to the annual fundraiser for diocesan ministries.

Carr mentioned the current difficult economic times in his announcement.

It is most important, he said, that the church redirect its stewardship efforts to support "those in grave need."

The one-time money that helped keep the newspaper afloat in recent years came from a sizable bequest and the sale of a couple of diocesan properties.

The newspaper has been distributed free for many years to members of the churches in the diocese.

According to the diocesan Web site, the total expense for the Wyoming Catholic Register was $233,385 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

The reorganization will affect a number of employees.

The office in Cheyenne employs a full-time editor and a part-time advertising salesman.

The three offices in Casper have about seven employees, including three directors and support staff, Carr said.

They will be reorganized into one office in Cheyenne with a director of ministry and an associate director.

"All of those directly affected by this decision have given themselves wholeheartedly to the work of the church," Carr said. "I am most grateful."

Jim Angell, the director of the Wyoming Press Association, lamented the plan for the Wyoming Catholic Register.

"It's a shame. The register has a tremendous history behind it of informing members of the Catholic Church of what's happening in the Cheyenne Diocese," he said.

"It was well written through the years. We used to get it at Associated Press and I always read it from front to back and I'm not a member of the church," said Angell, a former Associated Press reporter in Cheyenne.

"They're facing the same pressures the rest of us are," he added. "And when your prime business is not publishing, you look at cutting where you have to."

The Diocese of Cheyenne, established Aug. 9, 1887, includes the state of Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.

With an area of 97,575 square miles, it is the largest diocese in the lower 48 states - with one of the smallest populations.

It contains 36 parishes and 29 mission churches and employs approximately 225 individuals.

There are 53 active priests and 20 ordained deacons. The diocese is made up of about 49,038 Catholics.

The former bishop, David Ricken, was assigned to the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., in August. The Diocese of Cheyenne is presently awaiting a new appointment from Pope Benedict XVI.

Contact reporter Joan Barron at 307-266-0560 or joan.barron@trib.com