Catholic Digest

Last updated

Catholic Digest
Catholic Digest, March 2016.jpg
Cover of the March 2016 issue
Categories Roman Catholicism
PublisherBayard U.S.
FounderFr. Louis Gales
First issueNovember 1936
Final issueSummer 2020
Company Bayard
Country United States
Based in New London, Connecticut
Language English
Website www.catholicdigest.com

Catholic Digest was an American Roman Catholic monthly magazine founded in 1936. By the 1950s Catholic Digest was publishing articles by such well-known Catholic authors as Fulton J. Sheen, Frank Sheed and Dorothy Day. [1] In 2016 it was reaching two million readers. [2] In Catholic Digest's last years in print the number of issues were decreased, and starting in 2019 there were only eight issues per year. It ceased publication after the Summer 2020 issue. [3]

Contents

Overview

During the 1930s and 40s the magazine published several articles on combating racism and prejudice. In the December 1944 issue Archbishop Francis J. Spellman wrote “No true American will nurture, promote, or incite anti-Semitic, anti-Negro, anti-Catholic, anti-any group of fellow law-abiding American citizens.” [2] The magazine also printed stories on the importance of faith and a positive attitude in gaining strength during illness. The July 1961 issue contained “What My Illness Taught Me,” written by President John F. Kennedy. [2]

Many columns appeared over the years. In May 1956 a reader wrote to Catholic Digest with a question about the Catholic faith. That letter was the start of What Would You Like to Know About the Church, which answered questions sent in by readers. The name was later changed to Ask Father and the column appeared until the magazine's demise. [4]

In November 1987 the first Patrick's Corner appeared. Sean Patrick reminisced about growing up Catholic in Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1940s and 50s. The last Patrick's Corner was published in the Summer 2019 issue. [5]

Several long-running columns lasted through the final issue. Perfect Assist told of people who helped those in need. The name was changed to Love Your Neighbor in March 2002. [2] Daily Inspiration provided a short inspirational quote for each day of the month. Last Word was a two-page personal-experience essay. The first page was on the last page of the magazine, and the second on the next-to-last page. [6]

During Catholic Digests final years, from the May 2019 issue through the June/July/August 2020 issue — the magazine averaged 74 pages of content.

Publication history

Founding

Catholic Digest, originally titled The Catholic Book and Magazine Digest, was founded by Fr. Louis A. Gales, the assistant pastor of St. Agnes Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Gales had founded the Catechetical Guild, a company that published catechetical materials, and he wanted to publish a Catholic magazine modeled after Reader's Digest. [7] He sent postcards to the 2,000 names on the Catechetical Guild mailing list, telling about his idea, and asking them to subscribe. [2]

Saint Paul's Archbishop John Gregory Murray provided Gales with a loan of one thousand dollars, though he felt the magazine would fail. [7] The archbishop also allowed Gales to use a one-room office in the Chancery basement. The office room contained the building's heating plant. [2] Gales hired Nick Tschida, a high school student from St. Agnes Church, because Tschida could type and drive a car. [8] Tschida would continue to work at Catholic Digest for 66 years. [9] Gales asked a fellow Saint Paul priest, Fr. Paul Bussard to edit the magazine. [2]

The first issue was dated November 1936, and had a print run of 13,000 copies. [2] It had an orange paper cover, 64 pages, and no illustrations or advertisements. [7] Previously printed religious articles were condensed to one or two pages, which made it easy for busy people to keep informed on Catholic topics. [8]

Magazine expansion

Fr. Bussard was eager to expand the magazine and increase circulation. Original articles began being purchased and, though Catholic Digest continued to be based in Saint Paul, an additional office was opened in New York City. [8] By 1948 the size had increased to 128 pages, and in 1961 it was up to 144 pages. [8]

The May 1949 issue was the first to have a picture on the cover, [10] and in the 1950s special paintings were commissioned for the covers. [8] In 1947 the magazine reported 300,000 subscribers, and 850,000 subscribers in 1957. [8]

Change of ownership

From 1936 until 1964 Catholic Digest was owned by founder Fr. Louis A. Gales and Fr. Paul Bussard, who was the first editor, and later took on the financial management of the publication. Bussard did not keep accurate financial records, and often carried out unwise financial transactions, such as lending money from the magazine's profits without a written agreement regarding repayment. [8]

In 1962 Leo Binz was named the new archbishop of St. Paul and Minnesota, and he ordered a thorough audit of Catholic Digest's finances. Archbishop Binz made an interpretation of church law and declared that the two priests could no longer own the magazine. In 1964 Catholic Digest was sold to the University of St. Thomas. [8]

In December 2001, the French Roman Catholic media group Bayard, Inc. purchased the magazine. [11] In late 2011, Bayard closed down another of its publications, Faith & Family , moving its editor, Danielle Bean, over to Catholic Digest, which they rebooted with a new focus on faith and family. [12]

In an April 9, 2020, press release, Baynard, Inc. announced it was closing down Catholic Digest. [13]

Editors

Fr. Paul Bussard was editor of Catholic Digest from 1936 to 1964. In December 1975 Henry Lexau became the first lay editor-in-chief [2] and remained editor until at least 1986. In the Introduction to A Treasury of Catholic Digest — Favorite Stories of Fifty Years 1936 - 1986 Lexau remembers "editors in heaven" including Ed Harrigan, Harold O’Laughlin, Joe Aberwald and Maurice Murray. [14] Richard J. Reece was editor in 2003, and Daniel Connors was editor-in-chief from 2005 to 2012. In March 2012 Danielle Bean became the first female editor-in-chief [2] and Paul McKibben was the last managing editor. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catechism</span> Summary or exposition of doctrine

A catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals – often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorised – a format that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well. According to Norman DeWitt, the early Christians appropriated this practice from the Epicureans, a school whose founder Epicurus had instructed to keep summaries of the teachings for easy learning. The term catechumen refers to the designated recipient of the catechetical work or instruction. In the Catholic Church, catechumens are those who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Traditionally, they would be placed separately during Holy Mass from those who had been baptized, and would be dismissed from the liturgical assembly before the Profession of Faith and General Intercessions.

<i>Readers Digest</i> American general-interest magazine

Reader's Digest is an American general-interest family magazine, published 10 times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wife Lila Bell Wallace. For many years, Reader's Digest was the best-selling consumer magazine in the United States; it lost the distinction in 2009 to Better Homes and Gardens. According to Mediamark Research (2006), Reader's Digest reached more readers with household incomes of $100,000+ than Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Inc. combined.

The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in America, but reportedly "the world’s largest religious media network", reaching 250 million people in 140 countries, with 11 networks. It was founded by Mother Angelica, in 1980 and began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, from a garage studio at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama, which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. She hosted her own show, Mother Angelica Live, until health issues led to her retirement in September 2001. As of 2017, Michael P. Warsaw, who is a consultant to the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications, leads EWTN.

<i>La Croix</i> French Roman Catholic newspaper

La Croix is a daily French general-interest Roman Catholic newspaper. It is published in Paris and distributed throughout France, with a circulation of 87,000 as of 2018. La Croix is not explicitly left or right on major political issues, and adopts the Church's position, although it is not a religious newspaper; its topics are of general interest, including world news, the economy, religion and spirituality, parenting, culture, and science.

<i>Baltimore Catechism</i>

A Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Prepared and Enjoined by Order of the Third Council of Baltimore, or simply the Baltimore Catechism, was the national Catholic catechism for children in the United States, based on Robert Bellarmine's 1614 Small Catechism. The first such catechism written for Catholics in North America, it was the standard Catholic school text in the country from 1885 to the late 1960s. From its publication, however, there were calls to revise it, and many other catechisms were used during this period. It was officially replaced by the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults in 2004, based on the revised universal Catechism of the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hardon</span> American Catholic priest and theologian

John Anthony Hardon, SJ was an American Jesuit priest, writer, and theologian. A candidate for sainthood since 2005, he is recognized by the Catholic Church as a Servant of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick O'Boyle (cardinal)</span>

Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first resident Archbishop of Washington from 1948 to 1973, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's High School, Karachi</span> School in Karachi, Pakistan

St Patrick's High School is a Catholic primary and secondary school located in Saddar Town, Sindh, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded by the Jesuits in 1861, the school is the second-oldest school in Karachi. Since 1950, it has been run by the diocesan clergy of the Archdiocese of Karachi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy</span> Catholic cardinal

Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy was an Indian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1985. His episcopical motto was Aedificare domum Dei which means "To build the house of God". He was the fourth cardinal from India and the first curial cardinal of Asia outside of the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CatholicTV</span> US-based Catholic television network

The CatholicTV Network, commonly known as CatholicTV, is a Catholic television network based in Watertown, Massachusetts. CatholicTV first launched locally in Boston in 1955, making it the oldest Catholic television network in the United States. Today, it is distributed on cable television systems, internet television, and broadcast stations in sixteen U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands and now Worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Shehan</span>

Lawrence Joseph Shehan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1961 to 1974 and was made a cardinal in 1965. Shehan was an advocate for civil rights and inter-faith dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missionary Society of St. Columban</span>

The Missionary Society of St. Columban, commonly known as the Columbans, is a missionary Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right founded in Ireland in 1917 and approved by the Vatican in 1918. Initially it was known as the Maynooth Mission to China. Members may be priests, seminarians or lay workers. Fr John Blowick, one of the two founders of the Society, also founded the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban to share in their work. The society is dedicated to St. Columbanus. The current international headquarters is in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul Seminary</span> Roman Catholic seminary system in Minneapolis, U.S.

The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Roman Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on Catholic theology.

Faith & Family was a bi-monthly periodical about Catholic living, with a particular emphasis on marriage and motherhood. Launched in 1967 as Twin Circle, the magazine was renamed Faith & Family in 2000; it folded in 2011. The headquarters of Faith & Family was in New London, Connecticut.

<i>Catholic Naqib</i>

The Catholic Naqib is the oldest Urdu-language Catholic magazine, founded in Lahore, Pakistan in 1929 by Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore. It was originally published by Lahore Press and, since 1997, by Naqib Printing Press. Naqib (نقیب) is an Arabic name that means "herald" or "Proclaimer". The Naqib is one of the oldest magazines in the history of Pakistani journalism. It was founded by the Bishops of Pakistan in 1929.

Raymond Alphonse Lucker was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota from 1976 to 2000. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1971 to 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatima Family Apostolate</span>

The Fatima Family Apostolate (FFA) is a U.S.-based Roman Catholic Apostolate with headquarters in Hanceville, Alabama, founded in 1986 by Fr. Robert J. Fox and named after Our Lady of Fátima. Mr. John C. Preiss is currently the President.

Pierre Denzil Meuli was a writer, former newspaper editor, Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Auckland and a leading traditionalist Catholic in New Zealand. In 1969 Meuli was appointed editor of the newspaper, Zealandia, by Archbishop Liston of Auckland in a controversial episode accompanying the profound changes to the Catholic Church in New Zealand engendered by the second Vatican Council. For nearly 30 years from 1989 he ministered to the Auckland Catholic Latin Mass community.

The Rotti Press is the only printing press in Pakistan owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi. The press is located in Blenkin Street, Saddar, Karachi.

Stephen Alathara is the deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). He started as the deputy secretary general of the conference on 10 June 2014. He was appointed to this post three times consecutively in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He is the first priest from Kerala to serve as the deputy secretary general of the national episcopal conference. He is also the National Director of Communio India, Executive Secretary to the CCBI Commission for Boundary, Chief Functionary of the Episcopal Conference, the Director of CCBI Centre., Bangalore, the Director of Shanti Sadan, CCBI Secretariat Extension, Benaulim, Goa and the Editor of the CCBI News. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India is the largest canonical national episcopal conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. There are 132 dioceses and 182 bishops under the conference.

References

  1. ↑ Henry Lexau, compiler, A Treasury of Catholic Digest, Favorite Stories of Fifty Years 1936 - 1986, Ignatius Press, 1986, Contents pages 8 - 14
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 80 Years of Mercy, Julie Butters, Catholic Digest, November 2016, pp. 39-47
  3. ↑ "Magazines to cease print publication". PfLaum Publishing Group. April 9, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ Ask Father, Catholic Digest (June/July/August 2020), pp. 35-37
  5. ↑ Patrick, Sean. "One Last Trip to Patrick's Corner," Catholic Digest (June/July/August 2019), p. 64
  6. ↑ Catholic Digest (June/July/August 2020).
  7. 1 2 3 ”Catholic Digest” and the Catholic Revival 1936 - 1945, Anne Klejiment, U.S. Catholic Historian, Vol. 21, No. 3, Summer 2003, pp. 89-110
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Anne Klejiment. (Spring-Winter 2000). Hard Times for the American Catholic Renaissance ”Catholic Digest” in the Fifties, American Catholic Studies, 111(1/4), pp. 23-49
  9. ↑ Newsroom, St Thomas (December 10, 2002). "Please Remember in Your Prayers Nicholas Tschida, Catholic Digest Magazine". Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
  10. ↑ Catholic Digest Milestones (sidebar), Catholic Digest, November 2016, p. 46
  11. ↑ "Update: University to sell Catholic Digest magazine". Chron. November 17, 2001.
  12. ↑ Drake, Tim. "Catholic Publishing World Shrinks Further: Bayard to Cease Publishing Faith and Family magazine," National Catholic Register (Nov. 29, 2011).
  13. ↑ "For Catholic media, telling ‘the story of the Church’ becomes more difficult amid economic woes," Our Sunday Visitor (April 24, 2020).
  14. ↑ Henry Lexau (1986). ed., A Treasury of Catholic Digest, Favorite Stories of Fifty Years 1936 - 1986, Ignatius Press, p. 16
  15. ↑ Table of Contents page, Catholic Digest, June/July/August 2020, p. 7
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.