Paulist Press

The Paulist Press is a major component of the work of the Paulist Fathers , a society of missionary priests founded for and by Americans in 1858. Their leader, Fr. Isaac Hecker , sought a way to share the gospel of Jesus and the rich traditions of American Catholicism with the people of his time. He began by preaching missions and speaking in public lecture halls. These methods met with some successbut reached only a limited number of people. Fr. Hecker wanted to make contact with those who would never set foot in a church. So he turned to the printed word. The first product of his vision was a monthly publication, the Catholic World magazine. He wanted to create an intellectual journal for a growing Catholic population, and insisted that it be a first-class publication in format, quality, and style, equal if not superior to any secular magazine in the country. The Catholic World, later reconstituted as the New Catholic World, was to continue in existence for well over a century. Editors like Frs. Augustine Hewit, John J. Burke, James M. Gillis, and John B. Sheerin advanced the Paulist tradition of presenting a Catholic perspective on the important questions of the day. Although the circulation of the Catholic World quickly reached 10,000, Hecker foresaw the need to reach a wider audience who could not afford the price of a magazine. In 1866 he founded The Catholic Publication Society to produce four-page pamphlets that provided a succinct presentation of Catholic teaching . These could be sold across the nation for a penny apiece. Hecker also began a highly successful illustrated monthly for children. Its first issue appeared in October of 1870 as The Young Catholic, and within a year it was in the hands of 50,000 youthful readers. Fr. Hecker died in 1888, but the Paulist Fathers continued to implement and expand his vision for sharing the gospel through the medium of the printed word. In 1881 the Paulists established The Columbus Press in New York City. In 1913 The Columbus Press became the Paulist Press. ...