Our Sunday Visitor becomes English distributor for Vatican newspaper

Jul 19, 2012 / 11:06 am

The world's largest English-language Catholic publisher, Our Sunday Visitor, has reached an exclusive deal to distribute a translated edition of the official Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

Greg Erlandson, Our Sunday Visitor's president and publisher, said the partnership "works well for both entities," allowing the Indiana-based publishing house "to expand on our mission to serve the Church in a very direct way and assist the Vatican in its mission at the same time."

The Vatican will be able "to take full advantage of our leadership position as one of the largest publishing and distribution houses in the United States," Erlandson noted in a July 16 announcement.

Our Sunday Visitor will start its distribution of L'Osservatore Romano in August. Under the agreement, the publisher will also provide customer service and marketing support for the Vatican newspaper.

Published 50 times a year, L'Osservatore Romano is known for its coverage of papal events and speeches and other developments in the Church, with special sections devoted to the Pope's foreign travels. It also publishes commentary on culture and current events.

Founded in 1912 by Father (later Archbishop) John Francis Noll, Our Sunday Visitor publishes a range of periodicals including OSV Newsweekly. Its catalogue of over 1,700 Catholic books, pamphlets, and textbooks includes several titles by Pope Benedict XVI.

During 2012, Our Sunday Visitor is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Erlandson said the arrangement with the Vatican newspaper was in keeping with Archbishop Noll's mission, helping people "to see what is real and important in this life, and how it will connect them to the next."