.- The Catholic publishing group Our Sunday Visitor has acquired Harcourt Religion Publishers, announcing that the combination would help catechesis and Catholics who want to “bring their faith to life.”
Harcourt Religion Publishers, formerly a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will benefit by extending its curriculum base, a press release states. The publisher is best known for its Call to Faith K-8 Series, its Call to Faith eConnect web tool, liturgical-catechetical sacrament preparation programs, and its leading Catholic high school religion programs.
Our Sunday Visitor said the move will solidify its ability to help “millions of Catholics of every age.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Harcourt Religion Publishers into the Our Sunday Visitor family,” said Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor. “They have long stood out for their curricula and forward-looking support tools. The joining of our product lines not only reinforces both missions, but it leverages similar corporate cultures that value innovation, hybrid solutions, and sharing what the Church teaches and why to Catholics of all ages.”
Diane Lampitt, president of Harcourt Religion Publishers, said Our Sunday Visitor’s people, products, and mission complement Harcourt Religion’s vision and commitment to “solid, age-appropriate catechesis.”
“Together, we’ll be able to respond to parish and school needs like never before—with exceptional speed, creativity, and new formats,” she said.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Our Sunday Visitor will reportedly retain Harcourt Religion Publishers’ existing management, support staff, field representatives and product line. Harcourt Religion Publishers’ customers can continue to work through their local sales representatives.
Archbishop of Washington Donald W. Wuerl, former chair of the U.S. bishops’ conference’s committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, said the acquisition “brings together two great traditions in catechesis and lifelong faith formation.”
“Our Sunday Visitor has an exceptional history of bringing the Catholic faith to a wide-ranging audience,” he added. “At a time when education in the faith and strong Catholic identity are of critical importance in our Church, I am confident that Our Sunday Visitor’s acquisition of Harcourt Religion Publishers will contribute to a new day in catechesis.”
The Huntington, Indiana-based Our Sunday Visitor is a non-profit organization and the nation’s largest Catholic publisher. Its product line includes early childhood curricula, sacramental preparation tools, adult education programs, vacation bible school material, books, periodicals, pamphlets and offering envelopes.
More information about the acquisition is available at www.newdayincatechesis.com
