History
Maryknoll Magazine
The Field Afar, founded by Bishop James A. Walsh in 1907, is the precurser to what is now known as Maryknoll Magazine. With the founding of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in 1911, The Field Afar became the Society’s official publication. In the early years of the new Society, the magazine was its principal source of contact with US Catholics. The magazine was considered a “membership” magazine on the style of National Geographic – people who become “members” of the Society by making a financial contribution received the magazine as a benefit of their “membership.”
Bishop Walsh was the publisher and editor of the magazine and remained so until his death in 1936. Because of his duties in overseeing the Society at-large, he delegated the day-to-day operations of The Field Afar to two Maryknoll Sisters: Sr. Mary Just David, who for all practical purposes was the editor, and Sr. Mary Patrick Maher, who was copy editor and proof reader. Maryknoll Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters wrote articles. Brothers and Sisters maintained the subscription list and attended to the labeling, bundling, and mailing of the magazine each month through the Maryknoll Post Office.
After Bishop Walsh’s death, the Propaganda Department (later called the Promotion Department) took over responsibility for the magazine. In 1943, the magazine fell under the purview of the new Cultivation Department, which was part of the Promotion Department. Fr. John Considine became magazine editor in 1936 and expanded its content, while also beginning many other mission education and promotion projects [see below]. Fr. Albert Nevins became editor in 1953 and held the job until 1969. As a staff member in the Cultivation Department, he brought about changes in the format and editorial style of the magazine in the early 1940s, so it took on a more professional tone. In 1957, he also changed the name from The Field Afar to Maryknoll. Fr. Considine and Fr. Nevins both aimed to draw in goodwill, prayerful support, and financial donations from American Catholics through the magazine. Consequently, they selected stories and articles that focused primarily on evangelization, Catholicism, and Maryknoll’s mission work.
In 1966, the magazine came within the control of the newly-independent Social Communications Department (formerly the Cultivation Department). Fr. Miguel d’Escoto became department director and editor of the magazine in 1969. Beginning under Fr. d’Estoco’s direction, the magazine’s format and content changed, to make it more appealing and to cover new and more diverse topics. Over the years, these topics ranged from social justice to environmentalism to inter-religious dialogue and more. In addition, a “theme” system was adopted in planning for each year’s issues. The major articles and photo stories in eight of the twelve issues would address a particular theme; two issues would highlight a particular mission region; and two issues would be on general topics.
In the early years of the magazine, the principal source of material for stories and articles were the monthly diaries written by all overseas Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters. When these diaries were discontinued in the late 1960s, the magazine’s editors began traveling overseas themselves to Maryknoll’s mission locations. There they would take notes and photos, interview Maryknollers, and collect stories written by Maryknollers. They then used this material for the magazine’s content. In the 1970s, the magazine began enlisting the assistance of Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters overseas to write articles on the activities in their missions. The editors also contracted a professional photographer to document Maryknoll’s overseas missions. Today, the magazine is published four times a year. It employs both lay people and Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, and Lay Missioners to write articles and take photos that represent Maryknoll’s mission work around the world.
Book Publishing
Historically, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers took the lead in book publishing. But, Maryknoll Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters all wrote books published by the Society. Maryknoll published books for all ages and covered a wide variety of writing styles, from histories to biographies to collections of letters to stories for children. Prior to Vatican II, these books primarily focused on Maryknollers’ mission experiences. They described missioners’ day-to-day activities, noteworthy stories from their lives, the countries where the missioners lived, and the people they lived among. Some of the most prominent Maryknoll writers were Sr. Maria del Rey Danforth, Sr. Juliana Bedier, Sr. Louise Trevisan, Sr. Mary Chaminade Dreisoerner, Bishop James A. Walsh, Bishop James E. Walsh, Bishop Francis Ford, Fr. Bernard Meyer, Bishop Raymond Lane, Fr. John Considine, Fr. Albert Nevins, and Fr. Robert Sheridan.
Before 1936, Maryknoll published several books, but didn’t have a strong publishing unit. From 1936 to 1966, the Society’s Cultivation Department, under the leadership of Fr. Considine and Fr. Nevins, expanded the Fathers and Brothers’ publishing work. The publishing unit was called the Maryknoll Bookshelf. In addition to other mission education and promotion material, it produced a significant number of books by and about Maryknoll missioners and their work. This included the Maryknoll Missal, the Maryknoll Cookbook, biographies of Maryknollers, books about Maryknollers’ mission experiences, and more. Maryknoll Bookshelf closed in 1957 and was replaced by the Maryknoll Publications unit, which did essentially the same work.
When the Cultivation Department became the Social Communications Department in 1966, Society leadership was concerned about Maryknoll Publications and its book publishing efforts. As Fr. Considine and Fr. Nevins left the department, book publishing was reduced to a bare minimum. However, when Fr. d’Escoto became department director in 1969, he envisioned a revitalized book publishing effort. He wanted to reorient the book publishing unit to focus on works by Third World authors and those who wrote about the Third World from a faith perspective. Through his influence, a new publishing unit called Orbis Books was founded in 1970. At this point, Maryknoll Publications became a service primarily for ordering and purchasing books from other publishers for the Society Library, overseas regions, Society departments and offices, and individual Society members.
The purpose of Orbis Books was to implement the mission education mandate of Maryknoll by contributing to the international theological dialogue essential to mission. Early Orbis publications highlighted theological and ecclesial developments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as topics in mission theology, world religions, economic and cultural development, social justice, and the pursuit of peace. Maryknoll Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters published books through Orbis, as well as other clergy, men and women religious, and lay people. In 1987, the Society General Council established an Advisory Committee to Orbis Books, consisting of Maryknollers reflecting a wide range of mission experience and professional competencies. The Committee oversees the editorial program of Orbis and reports on important trends and developments in the church and the mission world. By the 1990s, topics published by Orbis broadened beyond an exclusively Third World orientation to reflect a growing awareness of world Christianity. Orbis now publishes authors from all parts of the world, including North America and Europe, who write about mission, evangelization, world Christianity, and social justice in the 21st century.
Educational Resources
In addition to publishing books, Maryknoll Bookshelf also produced educational resources to teach adults and children about Maryknoll, mission work, and Catholicism. When Maryknoll Bookshelf closed in 1957, its replacement unit Maryknoll Publications continued to make the same kinds of educational resources. These resources included textbooks, coloring books, plays, lesson plans for teachers, long-playing records, newsletters, booklets, magazines, posters, activity books, slide shows, filmstrips, comic books, serial publications, art, plays, pamphlets, and more.
For a full accounting of the types, content, and purpose of all the educational resources produced by Maryknoll, please see the MFBA Educational Resources Collection below.
Collections Related to Print Media
Select Books by Maryknoll Authors, c.1915-1975
MFBA Cultivation Department Records, Series 3 and 5