2000s: Pastoral Publishing in a New Millennium

By Fr. Byron Miller, CSsR, President and Publisher of Liguori Publications

2000–2009

Reflecting on his time as president and publisher of Liguori Publications (1999–2006), Fr. Harry Grile, CSsR, wrote “Pastoral Publishing: How Liguorian’s Advice Changed with the Times” (Liguorian, March 2013). He remarked that the twenty-first century came in peacefully, but the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 “changed everything.” Nevertheless, Liguorian continued its mission to address readers’ anxious questions, including those about a “new normal,” as people in the US felt less safe and secure because of 9/11. 

Fr. Grile also noted how Liguorian reflected the changing face of Catholicism in the US at the dawn of this century—including the influx of a large Hispanic population—with articles on immigration issues, such as “Strangers No Longer,” “Immigration Debate: Examining the Roots of Our Angry Rhetoric,” and “Asian Americans in the Catholic Church.”

Especially under the leadership of Fr. Mat Kessler, CSsR, who succeeded Fr. Grile, Liguori Publications responded to a growing cultural pluralism in the US Catholic Church by enhancing its Spanish-language resources, collectively known as Libros Liguori. These pastoral products continue to assist culturally diverse, bilingual congregations today.

At the same time, a rapidly increasing number of Americans who adhered to the basic principles of the Catholic faith were not attending Mass regularly or aligning with a parish community. Moreover, a growing number of individuals identified as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). According to the Pew Research Center, the group describing its “religious” identity as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular” may become the single largest “faith” group by 2023.

Like the Church in general for the last few decades, Liguori Publications has been impacted by fewer Catholics in the pews and the challenges of evangelizing to “nones”—those who describe their religious identity as “nothing in particular.” Marginalization of the Church and Christianity overall has become a reality so far for pastoral publishing in this millennium.

Next: During the decade of 2010–2019, Liguori Publications acquires a new brand to expand its pastoral outreach.