The Calling of Catholic Publishers to Proclaim Christ

Last week, members of Midwest Theological Forum’s marketing and editorial team attended the Association of Catholic Publishers’ annual membership meeting. The event served as a great opportunity to learn about the dynamics of faith today and to network with peers and professionals whose work pertains to the sphere of publishing.

With Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, having just been released earlier in the week, it made sense that AI dominated several workshop discussions. Meanwhile, the sessions between these workshops focused on the present condition of religion in the U.S.

The Current State of Faith and the Rise of Christian Publishing

Bridget Ritz, a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame, delivered a presentation titled Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America, which built on the research of Christian Smith. The data suggests that, while converts to Catholicism might not be dropping off, there are many more people leaving the Church than being welcomed in.

Despite this, over the last academic year, many Catholic universities have witnessed unprecedented numbers of catechumens. Additionally, the UK news outlet The Telegraph reported in April that there is a resurgent interest in traditional religion and the fundamental questions it answers — and, subsequently, in the publishing of Christian books.

In addition to his recent statements on AI, Pope Leo has also commented in on the value of reading books. Pope Leo XIV, like his predecessor Pope Francis, has spoken of the inherent merit of reading good print materials.

The Hope-Filled Work of Catholic Publishers

There is, then, great reason to hope — not just for the publishing industry or for the art of reading — but for the communication of truth and the cultivation of faith in our readership. The proper book at the right moment in one’s life can change the reader profoundly.

The pope’s hearty recommendation serves as an inspirational reminder for the faithful to expose themselves to fine literature and for Catholic publishers and content creators to produce work that genuinely displays truth, goodness, and beauty.

At the annual ACP meeting, we were among friends and fellow laborers of the harvest who understand this motivation. The world, along with its technologies, is always changing. The truth of the Gospel does not. While the methods we as publishers use to convey the truth adapt, as do we alongside them, our mission remains the same.

Speaking to the editorial team at the Vatican Publishing House last month, our Holy Father said:

The book is an opportunity to think. In the digital age, the physicality of the book reminds us of the role of thought, reflection and study. Reading nourishes the mind; it helps to foster a conscious and well-formed critical sense, guarding us against fundamentalism and ideological shortcuts. For this reason, I urge everyone to read books, as an antidote to closed-mindedness, which is reflected in rigid attitudes and reductive views of reality.

Pope Leo says that reading strengthens the mind and can serve as beneficial moral formation. This, then, is part and parcel to the vocation of every Catholic publisher: To foster this formation in (and critical eye for) what is real and what is right.

Reading As an Act of Encounter

On the same occasion as the one cited above, the pontiff suggested that the act of reading a particular book is “ideally [where we] encounter its author.” It is not merely an exchange of information, but it is a personal connection. In the words on the page, the reader becomes familiar with various aspects of the author: their loves, their dislikes, their idiosyncrasies.

If this is the case with ordinary human authors, how much more personal and intimate is the reader’s encounter with the Divine Author of Sacred Scripture. In the Bible, God tells us how potent language is: “Golden apples in silver settings are words spoken at the proper time” (Prv 25:11 NABRE). Words can convict; they can also heal. Scripture does both. Thus, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tm 3:16 NABRE).

This is why we consistently find saints steeped in God’s Word and the reflections of the holy men and women who preceded them. During his address at the Vatican Publishing House, Pope Leo spoke further:

For us Christians, the book is an opportunity to proclaim Christ. We know well how reading a saint’s biography or a well-written spiritual reflection can touch the heart. The Virgin Mary is often depicted, in the Annunciation, intent on reading the Holy Scriptures. Saint Anthony of Padua holds the open Book of the Gospels, upon which the Infant Jesus stands. We often see Saint Augustine seated at a desk before a large book and, at times, holding a heart in his hand: truth and charity. At the school of Mary and the Saints, let us nourish ourselves with the Word of God, so that it may shape our way of thinking and acting.

The saints who have gone before us have sharpened their understanding and inflamed the ardor of their hearts through excellent spiritual reading. As St. Josemaría Escrivá wrote in The Way, “Don’t neglect your spiritual reading. Reading has made many saints” (no. 116).

It is the role of the Catholic publisher to produce books that facilitate excellent spiritual reading, the kind which our pope and St. Josemaría say is so important. Thus, we have the awesome privilege not only of helping readers encounter ordinary authors but, in a deeper sense, the Author of our very selves. It is one tangible way to proclaim Christ .