Hard Times for the American Catholic Renaissance: "Catholic Digest" in the Fifties
The publishing apostolate, as it was once known, played a vital role in the development of pre-Vatican II American Catholicism. Religious magazines, diocesan papers, devotional pamphlets, and a wide range of books, helped Catholics of the mid-twentieth century define and integrate their national and...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2000
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| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2000, Volume: 111, Issue: 1/4, Pages: 23-49 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The publishing apostolate, as it was once known, played a vital role in the development of pre-Vatican II American Catholicism. Religious magazines, diocesan papers, devotional pamphlets, and a wide range of books, helped Catholics of the mid-twentieth century define and integrate their national and religious identities. Catholic publications provided a crucial way of preserving and strengthening the faith— and of perpetuating a widely shared American Catholic culture. By studying the development and performance of the largest general interest American Catholic magazine of the postwar era, Catholic Digest [CD], we can begin to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a major aspect of the preconciliar church to gain greater perspective on the extent of the changes attributed to Vatican II. This essay will examine the circulation and financial history of Catholic Digest, perhaps not the most influential religious monthly, but certainly the one with the largest readership. The history of this key magazine supports the position that significant change within the church was already underway before Pope John XXIII convened Vatican II. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
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