Sophia Institute Press
Sophia Institute Press is a non-profit publishing company based in Nashua, New Hampshire, United States.
Status | Active |
---|---|
Founded | 1983 |
Founder | John Barger |
Successor | Charlie McKinney, President |
Country of origin | United States |
Headquarters location | Nashua, New Hampshire |
Publication types | Books, magazines |
Nonfiction topics | Catholicism |
Revenue | US$10 million (2020) |
No. of employees | 48 |
Official website | www |
It publishes Catholic books, the online opinion journal Crisis Magazine, the website CatholicExchange.com, and catechetical materials for teachers.
Since 2012, the president of the organization has been Charlie McKinney.[1]
History
Sophia Institute was founded in 1983 by John L. Barger, then a philosophy professor at Magdalen College in Bedford, New Hampshire, along with his student Paul DiIulio.[2] Under Barger's direction, the press published over 200 titles and 2.5 million books.[1] In 2011, while the press was the publishing division of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts and Holy Spirit College, Charlie McKinney was the publisher's chief operating officer.
In 2012, Barger retired from directing Sophia Institute, and the Institute's board selected Charlie McKinney as its new president.
Sophia Institute for Teachers
In 2014, Sophia Institute began Sophia Institute for Teachers to aid Catholic religion teachers, offering lesson plans, instructional videos, and teacher formation workshops.[3][4] As of 2020, Sophia Institute for Teachers had partnered with nearly 50 Catholic dioceses nationwide[5] and had trained over 20,000 teachers.
In 2017, Sophia Institute for Teachers launched a K-8 school textbook series, Spirit of Truth, later followed by faith formation programs for parishes and a high school theology textbook series.
Partnership with EWTN Global Catholic Network
In 2015, Sophia Institute Press formed a joint venture with the international Catholic television service EWTN to establish EWTN Publishing, a new entity that publishes books by the network's foundress Mother Angelica and other hosts of EWTN programming.[6]
Crisis magazine
In 1982 at Notre Dame, theologian Michael Novak and philosophy professor Ralph McInerny founded an opinion magazine under the title Catholicism in Crisis, as a voice of Catholic neoconservative political and cultural thought.[7] In 1986 its title was changed to Crisis. From 1995 to 2011 Deal Hudson was the magazine's publisher. In late 2007 the magazine ceased print publication, and its content moved to its companion website under the title "Inside Catholic". After Sophia Institute Press acquired the magazine in 2011, it resumed the name Crisis.[8] The college transferred the magazine to Sophia Institute in 2012.[9][10]
Crisis Publications
In April 2019, the press began publishing books with Crisis Magazine branding. The new imprint, called Crisis Publications, is dedicated to books that examine social and cultural trends from a conservative Catholic perspective.[11]
References
- "Sophia Institute Press names new President". Catholic News Agency. November 14, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- David A. Bovenizer (April 1, 1994). "Sophia's Secret". Crisis. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
- "Sophia Institute's New Project Aids Catholic Teachers". Catholic News Agency. Apr 29, 2014. Retrieved Feb 25, 2016.
- "Sophia Helping Catholics Relearn the Importance of Catechesis". Cardinal Newman Society. October 24, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- "Professional Development Workshops". Sophia Institute for Teachers. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- "EWTN Forms New Publishing Group with Sophia Institute Press". National Catholic Register. Nov 4, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- Todd Scribner (2015). A Partisan Church: American Catholicism and the Rise of Neoconservative Catholics. CUA Press. p. 216. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- Michael Sean Winters (commentary) (May 10, 2011). "Crisis Magazine Returns". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
- Charlie McKinney (December 9, 2013). "The Future of Crisis Magazine (fundraising article)". Crisis. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
- "After acquisition, Crisis Magazine re-launches website". Catholic News Agency. February 10, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- Wenner, Emma. "Catholic Publishers Focus on Moving Forward". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 April 2020.