Microfilm

I contacted the Philadelphia Archdiocese Archives looking for letters sent from bishops or archbishops to parish priests to be read to their congregations. After I clarified that I wanted public letters not private (those are not released for 70 years after their creation), the archivist thought my best bet was to search The Catholic Standard and Times.

The Catholic Standard and Times was a weekly newspaper produced by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for 117 years.  Because of budget cuts, it was closed and the last issue was published in June 2012.  It's website counterpart continues at CatholicPhilly.com. 
 
The archivist suggested flipping through the bound volumes of the newspaper but I requested the microfilm instead.