2007 marks the 175th anniversary of William H. Sadlier, Inc., the oldest family-owned and family-operated publisher of religious education books in the United States. Founded in 1832 by two brothers, Denis and James Sadlier, today the company is also owned and led by two brothers from the same remarkable family.
Known to many in the Baby Boomer Generation for its classic Baltimore Catechism series, Sadlier remains dedicated to developing and publishing industry standard catechetical materials. What has not changed over its 175 year history is Sadlier’s ongoing commitment to addressing the needs of Catholic communities through the faithful presentation of Church teachings and the preparation of each generation to carry out the mission of the Church.
Sadlier’s catechetical materials for school and parish religious education programs include We Believe, K-8, and the sacramental preparation program.
What sets the company apart is the fact that Sadlier’s materials use scripture as the foundation of their programs and they seek and receive input from catechists, teachers, parents, diocesan directors, bishops, professors, and other leading experts throughout the nation to ensure their texts present authentic Catholic doctrine effectively, and engagingly-for students, catechists, and families.
For example in the We Believe series, a unique three-step catechetical process echoes Jesus’ pedagogy of faith. WE GATHER opens each chapter engaging the children in a variety of prayers that invite them to share their experiences. WE BELIEVE presents the truths of the Catholic faith found in sacred scripture and tradition and provides an engaging activity for each faith statements. WE RESPOND helps children put their faith into action through prayer, projects and reflection.
Throughout its 175-year history, Sadlier has worked to meet evolving cultural and contemporary needs. For that reason most of Sadlier’s major catechetical programs, today, have bilingual English-Spanish editions. In addition, in 1998, Sadlier launched CyberFaith.com to provide “Catholic resources for people of faith” for Internet users. Sadlier now has six web sites, including CyberFaith en Espanol that offer a variety of free and timely resources.
For more information about the 175th year celebration or to speak with William S. Dinger, President of Sadlier, please contact Joe Clark at (201) 843-5600.
Public Relations Contact: Rosica Strategic Public Relations