William H. Sadlier

In 1832, brothers Denis and James Sadlier emigrated from Cashel, County Tipperary to New York City and began publishing materials for the Catholic community. Under the name D&J Sadlier, they published an American edition of Butler's Lives of the Saints, an American Catholic Bible, and other devotional works, and eventually a weekly Catholic newspaper, The Tablet. Writing as Mrs. J. Sadlier, Mary Anne Sadlier, wife of James Sadlier, translated seventeen religious books from their original French and wrote twenty-three inspirational novels.[2] In 1895, she received the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame,[3] and in 1902, she received a special blessing from Pope Leo XIII for her "illustrious service to the Catholic Church".[4]

In 1874, William H. Sadlier joined his uncles, Denis and James Sadlier, before branching out to start his own publishing firm. Before he died at age 31, William asked his wife Annie to keep the family business. By 1907, Annie's son, Frank X. Sadlier, was leading the firm and introducing new programs in history and geography, as well as new publications in catechesis. In 1927, F. Sadlier Dinger, son of William H. and Annie Sadlier, joined the company, working alongside his uncle, Frank. In the 1930s, Dinger proposed that traditional questions and answers of the Baltimore Catechism be accompanied by exercises, explanatory material, and tests. Written by Ellamay Horan, Sadlier's Baltimore Catechism with study lessons was soon a success. During this time, Sadlier began to publish new history texts with full-color art, a series of poetry books for elementary grades, and a series of spelling books developed for the New York City public schools. In 1943, the company published its Progress in Arithmetic series.

In the late 1950s Sadlier pioneered the kerygmatic approach to catechetics, drawing upon the fourfold revelation of Jesus through scripture, liturgy, doctrine, and Christian witness. This resulting series, called On Our Way, was developed by Maria de la Cruz with the advice of Johannes Hofinger.

Under Dinger, the firm grew with the publication of catechetical and academic programs. The purchase of the Oxford Book Company in 1972 expanded opportunities in the academic subjects that Sadlier was already producing – social studies, language arts, and mathematics. In 1973, Sadlier published its first bilingual Spanish-English textbook, Jesus Nos Dice.

Today Sadlier comprises two imprints: Sadlier School, which publishes academic basal and supplemental programs for K–12, and Sadlier Religion, which publishes catechetical programs for K–adult.

Sadlier is currently owned and led by University of Notre Dame graduates and siblings, Frank Sadlier Dinger, Chairman of the Board, and William Sadlier Dinger, who serves as president. Their respective children are continuing the Sadlier family tradition. Angela Dinger serves as General Counsel for the company, Melissa Gibbons is Director of Research and Planning, and William Sadlier Dinger, Jr. serves as National Account Manager and was recently promoted to Group VP.

One of Sadlier's most-popular educational courses is Vocabulary Workshop with a number of related sites offering help with questions and answers.

• Vocabulary Workshop
• Grammar for Writing
• New Progress in Mathematics
• We Believe / Creemos

In 1980, Sadlier first awarded the F. Sadlier Dinger Award in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the ministry of religious education in America. The award is granted annually at the National Catholic Educational Association conference. Past recipients of the award include:[5]

• 1980 - Rev. John F. Meyers
• 1981 - Rev. Andrew Greeley
• 1982 - Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh
• 1983 - Sister Francis Regis Trojano, CSJ
• 1984 - Sister Rose Anita McDonnell, IHM
• 1985 - Sister Loretta Carey, RDC
• 1986 - Rev. Thomas V. Gallagher
• 1987 - Sister Mary Peter Traviss, OP
• 1988 - Cardinal Terence Cooke (posthumously)
• 1989 - Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
• 1990 - Rev. William O'Malley, SJ
• 1991 - National "Faith Alive" Family
• 1992 - Chief Administrators of Catholic Education, NCEA
• 1993 - Sister Mary Louisette DeSalle, SSF
• 1994 - Sister Clare Fitzgerald, SSND
• 1995 - Sister Anne C. Leonard, CND
• 1996 - Most Rev. Christoph Schönborn, OP
• 1997 - Monika Hellwig
• 1998 - Dolores R. Leckey
• 1999 - Howard J. Jenkins
• 2000 - Cardinal Pio Laghi
• 2001 - Sister Lourdes Sheehan, RSM
• 2002 - Sister Dominica Rocchio, SC
• 2003 - Rev. Thomas Toale
• 2004 - Rev. Joseph M. O'Keefe, SJ
• 2005 - Sister Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN
• 2006 - Sister Mary Michaeline Green, OP
• 2007 - Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (rescinded 2018)
• 2008 - Annette Lentz
• 2009 - Most Rev. Gregory M. Aymond
• 2010 - Lorraine A. Ozar
• 2011 - Sister Immaculata Paisant, MSC
• 2012 - William P. Leahy, SJ
• 2013 - Daniel F. Curtin
• 2014 - Cardinal Donald Wuerl
• 2015 - D. Michael McCarron
• 2016 - Regina M. Haney
• 2017 - Deborah Pecher
• 2018 - Dale McDonald, PBVM

• Official website