<em>The Catholic Herald</em> has announced a landmark partnership with Longbeard Creative Inc.,<br>creators of the Vulgate AI platform, to develop its 137-year archive of faith-based content into<br>a fully searchable, AI-powered database – unlocking new premium offerings for subscribers<br>and opening the door to global licensing, multimedia content partnerships and academic<br>collaborations.
Under the agreement, <em>The Catholic Herald</em> will retain full ownership of its archive, while<br>Longbeard’s Vulgate platform will structure and index the entire collection, allowing readers<br>and researchers to explore more than a century of Catholic journalism with unprecedented<br>ease and depth.
The archive includes contributions from writers such as GK Chesterton and JRR Tolkien,<br>along with coverage of major world events, papal transitions and cultural commentary<br>spanning the late 19th-century through the post-Vatican II era and into the modern day.
“<em>The Catholic Herald</em>’s archive is one of the great cultural and intellectual resources<br>in religious publishing,” said Matthew Harvey Sanders, CEO of Longbeard. “With<br>Vulgate, we're ensuring its legacy not only endures but expands – brought to life for a<br>new generation through intelligent, purpose-driven technology.”
This is the latest in a series of strategic business expansions and digital initiatives since <em>The<br>Catholic Herald</em> was acquired by GEM Global Yield LLC SCS, which took a majority stake in<br>2022 and increased its ownership to 90 per cent in 2024.
“This archive is one of the most treasured parts of <em>The Catholic Herald</em>’s legacy,” said<br>Mark Ackermann, CEO of The Catholic Herald Institute. “Partnering with a mission-aligned<br>innovator like Longbeard allows us to unlock that legacy in new formats and for the<br>digital audience as we grow internationally”.
The announcement comes as interest in values-driven media continues to rise, and follows<br><em>The Catholic Herald</em>’s recent <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/primed-for-growth-the-catholic-heralds-global-crowdfunding-campaign/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">launch of a crowdfunding campaign</mark></a> aimed at expanding its<br>digital reach and engaging a new generation of readers.
<em>Photo: Collage of famous historical Catholic figures (from top left): Dorothy Day, Fr Thomas Byles, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Antoni Gaudí and GK Chesterton.</em>
