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Hoping to shepherd unemployed parishioners back into jobs, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is offering free space in its weekly newspaper for help-wanted advertisements.

The newspaper, the Rhode Island Catholic, will begin printing the free classifieds on Jan. 29.

“Our readers span a really broad demographic,” Marcia Grann O’Brien, the newspaper’s editor and general manager, said yesterday. “All of us, whatever our religion or ethnic background, we’ve all been hit by this horrendous economic downturn.”

Rhode Island had an unemployment rate in November of 9.3 percent, one of the worst in the country. That means more than 50,000 state residents are out of work, and economic analysts have said unemployment could surpass 10 percent this year. Already, claim submissions are overwhelming the state Department of Labor and Training, causing delays in processing.

With consumer spending down and loans scarce, there is no clear indication of how many local businesses are looking to increase their staffs. But church officials say job seekers can use any help they can get.

“We understand that there aren’t a lot of jobs available out there,” Bishop Thomas J. Tobin said in an interview yesterday. “Maybe we can connect a few, and if we can make some small contribution along those lines, I hope that will be helpful to our community.”

The Rhode Island Catholic –– founded in 1875 as The Providence Visitor and renamed and redesigned in 2007 –– will also publish advertisements directly from job seekers. The classifieds will also appear on the newspaper’s Web site, www.thericatholic.com.

The free classifieds are one of several church assistance programs to help mitigate suffering from the economic downturn. Last summer, the diocese handed out bus tickets to low-income drivers burdened by high gasoline prices. This winter, the church is helping families pay heating bills, and awarding $75,000 grants to homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

The giveaway comes at a tough time for the Rhode Island Catholic, which has not escaped the declines in advertising sales that have buffeted the industry.

In the last fiscal year, the Rhode Island Catholic received $550,000 from the diocese, more than half of its $1-million budget. But the publication, a for-profit company headquartered on Broad Street in Providence, is expected to generate considerable income from advertising sales. Advertisers –– including charities, Catholic schools and travel agencies selling pilgrimage journeys –– pay $19 per column inch, said Richard Lafond Jr., the advertising director.

Before the economic slowdown, the newspaper brought in about $30,000 a month in ad sales.

The Rhode Island Catholic prints 30,500 copies, selling subscriptions for $25 a year. Many readers, however, receive the paper as a reward for donating to the annual Catholic Charity Fund appeal.

Still, the newspaper has advantages that will help allow its eight-person staff to donate half a page, or about 2.5 percent of its weekly real estate, to fight unemployment.

Some contributors, for example, voluntarily pay for their free subscriptions. And although the paper stopped soliciting donations years ago, checks continue to arrive at the newsroom, according to the diocesan spokesman, Michael K. Guilfoyle.

“I was anxious to see if in any way the church could be of assistance,” Bishop Tobin said. “Time will tell. We have no idea what the response will be.”

bgedan@projo.com