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Foreword

Scripture tells us, “By their fruits you shall know them.” Archbishop John F. Noll was among the most fruitful of America’s great bishops, and we at Our Sunday Visitor continue to reap the rich harvest of his legacy.

Yet the most enduring of his prodigious efforts — all accomplished while he was a full-time pastor and bishop — may not be the specific products that he created, but the passion and the energy with which he engaged American society, and the encouragement he gave to others to do the same.

Archbishop Noll was what is now known as “an early adopter.” He embraced the communication tools of his day — print, radio, and television — with an eye toward how they could best serve the mission of the Church. He was also ahead of his time in understanding the vital role that laypeople could play in the life of the Church and in society. He encouraged lay involvement, believing that only through an educated and energetic laity could the Church hope to spread the Gospel and renew the nation.

He has not been the only bishop to found a newspaper, write books, and play a leadership role in the world beyond his diocese. But the lasting vitality of Archbishop Noll’s legacy is unique.

The same newspaper he founded to defend the Church and teach the faithful continues to do so today. The Priest magazine today serves a clergy more embattled than ever before, but no less dedicated to their vocation. And many new publications have joined the Our Sunday Visitor family over the years to meet the needs of Catholics in the pew.

Just as Archbishop Noll was always quick to see the potential of new technologies for evangelization, so today his company seeks to use the Internet, radio, CD-ROM, and other communication tools to reach those interested in seeing the world’s events through Catholic eyes.

And that small offering envelope company he founded so many years ago? Today, it is the largest Catholic producer of envelopes in the world, helping to teach the principles of Gospel-based stewardship to parishes throughout the country.

One final legacy of Archbishop Noll’s passion, energy, and love for the Church is the Our Sunday Visitor Institute. Every year this organization lends financial support to worthy projects, organizations, and conferences that conform in some way to his vision of education, evangelization, and witness. Assistance has been provided throughout the nation and in virtually every diocese.

What Archbishop Noll founded nearly a century ago continues to bear fresh fruit for the sake of the Lord and on behalf of His Church. Following his lead, it remains dedicated to ordinary Catholics who love their Church, love their faith, and strive to live as Jesus commanded them to.

We, the employees of Our Sunday Visitor and the heirs of his mission, are steadfastly committed to Archbishop Noll’s original insight: that an educated laity, formed well in the principles of its faith, is not only a lasting bulwark against the temptations of the world but also the most powerful and positive witness to the truths of our Church.

This remains to this day our ministry, the lasting fruit, the continual harvest, sown by this visionary priest, our founder and inspiration: Archbishop John F. Noll.

— Gregory R. Erlandson

President, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division