 Company logo | |
| Founded | 1912 |
|---|---|
| Founder | John F. Noll |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Huntington, Indiana |
| Key people | Kyle Hamilton, Scott P. Richert, Gretchen R. Crowe, Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P. |
| Publication types | Newspapers, magazines, books, pamphlets, offertory envelopes |
| Official website | osv |
Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) is aCatholic publishing company inHuntington,Indiana, which prints theAmerican national weekly newspaper of that name, as well as numerous Catholicperiodicals, religious books, pamphlets,catechetical materials,inserts forparish bulletins andoffertory envelopes, and offers an "Online Giving" system and "Faith in Action" websites for parishes.[1] Founded in 1912 by FrJohn F. Noll, the newspaperOur Sunday Visitor was the most popular Catholic newsweekly of the twentieth century.[2]
John Francis Noll, laterBishop of Fort Wayne in Indiana, was a small town priest who, having grown weary ofanti-Catholic literature, and especially a widely circulated anti-Catholic paper calledThe Menace, decided to print aparish bulletin. The first issue ofOur Sunday Visitor, numbering 35,000 copies, was dated May 5, 1912. A year later, the circulation of the paper had reached 160,000 copies, far beyond Noll's parish. Shortly afterWorld War I, the circulation had grown to 500,000 copies.[3]
The initial focus ofOur Sunday Visitor was to combat anti-Catholicism, help Catholics preserve their identity, teach Catholics about their faith, and combatsocial injustice. A column Noll started in 1912, called "Father Smith Instructs Jackson", was later collected into a popular book, which sold millions of copies.[3]
On March 30, 1913, the paper offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who could prove the anti-Catholic charges laid against the Church. No one ever claimed the reward.[3]
In the 1930s,Our Sunday Visitor focused on how Catholics could preserve their faith in asecular society. During the 1940s, Noll's newspaper took positions againstbirth control,divorce, andindecent literature and movies.[3]
During theCold War, the paper stepped up its attacks oncommunism and warned Catholics away from joining communist groups. The fortieth anniversary issue ofOur Sunday Visitor, published on May 4, 1952, carried a banner headline that read, "They Do Not Want God in Our Schools: Secular Trend is Certain to Bring Disaster."[3]
In 1953, Noll was namedarchbishopad personam byPope Pius XII. Noll suffered a stroke in 1954 and was no longer able to editOur Sunday Visitor. He died on July 31, 1956.[3]
After Noll's death, the paper continued to be produced, and in 1961 its circulation had surpassed one million. Today,Our Sunday Visitor has a full publishing wing which publishes books, religious educational materials, and other media.[3] The company expanded by purchasingHarcourt Religion in 2009.[4] As of 2019[update] the weekly newspaper is known asOur Sunday Visitor, and the editorial director for periodicals is Gretchen R. Crowe;[5] earlier it was known asOSV Newsweekly. Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., was announced as Crowe's successor as editor ofOur Sunday Visitor, on August 24, 2022.[6]
In July 2012,OurSunday Visitor was selected by the Vatican as the exclusive distributor of the North American English edition of the official Vatican newspaper,L'Osservatore Romano.[7][8]
In July 2022, the company announced plans to acquire the operations ofCatholic News Service, which was set to close its US office at the end of the year. Crowe will serve as the editor of the newagency, OSV News.[9]
In July 2024, the company announced its weekly newspaper will transition to a monthly lifestyle magazine format.[10]
 | |
| Format | Online |
|---|---|
| Owner | Our Sunday visitor |
| Editor-in-chief | Gretchen Crowe |
| Founded | 1 January 2023 |
| Language | English, Spanish |
| Website | catholicnews |
Our Sunday Visitor announced in July 2022 that since the close of the US services ofCatholic News Service (CNS) was planned, Our Sunday Visitor would be launching a newnews agency on 1 January 2023:OSV News. Our Sunday Visitor also stated it would acquire the digital archives of CNS and allow for its consultations on OSV News by subscribers. They also stated the new agency's website would be hosted on CNS's formerURL address.[9][11]
In August 2022, Gretchen Crowe was namededitor-in-chief of the future OSV News.[12][13]
In September 2022, Our Sunday Visitor stated it would reemploy three veteran CNS journalists for the future launch of OSV News.[14]
The launch date of 1 January 2023 was also confirmed by OSV News.[15]
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