The Irish Catholic is targeting sales growth, as its new owners are planning to relaunch the newspaper before Christmas with a redesigned look, more staff and a more aggressive marketing strategy, the Sunday Business Post reported.

The paper was taken over by the Agricultural Trust, which owns the Irish Farmers' Journal and the Irish Field, for an undisclosed sum last summer.

The paper will increase from 24 to 32 colour pages, hire two new reporters (bringing the number of reporters to seven) and invest in updating the paper's design, according to the Sunday Business Post.

Marketing-wise, the Irish Catholic has a very unique plan: to encourage more priests to promote the paper, as well as generally improving distribution. Up until now, the newspaper has relied on a distribution system of parish churches, many times depending on a single person to sell copies.

The paper's editor, Garry O'Sullivan, told the Sunday Business Post that the most difficult task for the paper will be to rid itself of its “seriously fuddy-duddy image,” which it has had since the paper began in 1888.

“There's actually a lot of energy in the Catholic Church at the moment and there are plenty of people who want to get involved in it, but they wouldn't be our traditional readers,” O'Sullivan told the Sunday Business Post. he said. “We know we won't have enough priests to keep things going, so what's happening right now is a process that will enable a new church to grow.”