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America is a weekly Catholic journal of opinion that has appeared continuously since April 17, 1909. The founder was John J. Wynne, S.J. (1859-1948), who also conceived the idea of the Catholic Encyclopedia, the first volume of which appeared in 1907 under his direction. From 1892 Wynne edited a devotional Catholic monthly, The Messenger of the Sacred Heart. Determined to publish materials less devotional and more wide-ranging, so that readers might "find God in all things," he had by 1902 divided that earlier journal in two: The Messenger of the Sacred Heart, which remained the organ of the Apostleship of Prayer, and The Messenger, a Catholic magazine of more general interest. He wanted The Messenger to be yet "more solid and serious," and by 1909 the improved version appeared as America. This title was meant to show the new magazine's scope, and the subtitle "Catholic Review of the Week" specified its point of view.

From the beginning the magazine has been the work of Jesuits from across the United States, and this breadth of origin was reflected in the first editorial board, composed of Jesuits from all the U.S. provinces of the Society of Jesus then existing. Wynne himself, a peremptory if industrious character, lasted only a few months as editor of America, but the editorial formula he devised lasts to this day--editorial comment, short articles and reviews of arts and letters.

Issues and stances that have characterized the history of the publication would include the following. It promoted racial and social justice from the 1930s through the 1960s with the contributions of longtime editors like John LaFarge, S.J., and Benjamin Masse, S.J. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-38), the magazine was sympathetic to Spanish Catholics and therefore tended to support the Catholic aspects of Franco's cause, and on this issue the magazine parted company with liberal U.S. journals with which it is sometimes compared. On the other hand, America in the early 1950s, under the editorship of Robert Hartnett, S.J., criticized Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was often championed by Catholics of that day for his supposed anti-communism, and the magazine and its editor suffered for that principled stand. In the 1960s the magazine enthusiastically reported and supported Vatican Council II, and America Press Inc. published the first available English edition of council documents. Between 1960 and 1970, C. J. McNaspy, S.J., one of the associate editors, enlivened the magazine's appreciation of liturgy, music and the fine arts. A review of the magazine's history or of any given issue reveals that America strives for balance, preferring analysis to ideology. A historical example was its editorial of August 17, 1968, carefully dissenting from that part of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae vitae which said all forms of artificial birth control are inherently evil.

America retains a loyal readership, especially among the hiererchy and other leaders and managers of the Catholic Church in the United States, lay and religious. During the post-Vatican II period, the editors have consistently promoted conciliar reform, but they have struck a balance between the extremes of liberal and conservative opinion in the reforming Church, acting as a bridge for Church dialogue. This opens the magazine to the criticism that it is bland or uncommitted, but it adheres to an analytical rather than crusading tone, and it consistently wins prizes from the Catholic Press Association.

The balance favored by these editors has given the magazine a reputation for temperateness that its founding editor did not always share. But such steadiness has enabled the magazine to fulfill throughout the twentieth century the vision of its founder, who wrote in the first issue: "The object, scope and character of this review are sufficiently indicated in its name--America: A Catholic Review of the Week."

Thomas H. Stahel, S.J.

From The Encyclopedia of American Catholic History

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Foley Poetry Contest

Poems are being accepted for the 2018 Foley Poetry Award.

Each entrant is asked to submit only one unpublished poem on any topic. The poem should be 30 lines or fewer and not under consideration elsewhere. Poems will not be returned. Poems should be sent in via Submittable or postal mail.

Include contact information on the same page as the poem. Poems must be postmarked or sent in via Submittable between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2018. The winning poem will be published in the June 25, 2018 issue of America. Three runner-up poems will be published in subsequent issues.

Cash prize: $1,000

To send in poems through Submittable, go to americamedia.submittable.com.

For poems submitted via postal mail, send to:

Foley Poetry Contest

America Magazine

1212 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY, 10036

Slideshows

America is pleased to offer the following slideshows:

The Beatification of Oscar Romero

James T. Keane traveled to San Salvador for America to report on the beatification of Blessed Oscar Romero on May 23. Here we offer some photos and commentary from his trip.

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Remembering Romero

On Saturday, May 23, the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero will be beatified, 35 years after he was assasinated while celebrating Mass in the modest chapel of Divine Providence Hospital in San Salvador. Here we offer some pictures from his life and from the city and people that he loved.

V iew Galley

Memory and Healing in El Salvador

Luke Hansen, S.J., took part in delegation to El Salvador from July 24 to Aug. 1, 2014, to mark the 25th anniversary of the assassination of six Jesuit priests, Elba Ramos and her daughter Celina at the University of Central America.

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The Restoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral

On March 17, 2012, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York unveiled ambitious plans to restore St. Patrick's Cathedral. One year into the $175 million, 3-year project, assistant editor Ashley McKinless got a behind (and above) the scenes look at some of the church's renovation efforts.

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California Missions

After a visit to Mission San Juan Bautista in March 2013, Kirk Whitney and his family resolved to visit all 21 of the California missions before the Year of Faith ended in November. Here he shares just a few of the many beautiful sites they saw along their West Coast pilgrimage.

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A Terrible Beauty

Former associate editor James Keane shares photos from the major sites of the Easter Rising of 1916, a failed attempt by Irish nationalists to throw off centuries of English rule and establish an Irish Republic.

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And the Red Hat Goes To...

On January 12, Pope Francis named 19 new cardinals and announced a consistory for their formal induction into the College of Cardinals on Feb. 22. Here is a round-up of photos and background information so you can meet his selections.

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An Option for the Poor in Honduras

Luke Hansen, S.J., an associate editor of America, created this photo journal after participating in a delegation to Honduras in September 2013.

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Pope Francis at the Church of the Gesù

On January 3, 2014, Pope Francis Celebrate Mass with his Jesuit brothers at the Church of the Gesu in Rome, on the titular feast of the Society of Jesus: The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. These photos (but for one) were graciously send by the Jesuit Curia in Rome.

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Reporting from Rwanda

Four photo journals from managing editor Kerry Weber, who traveled to Rwanda as part of the Catholic Relief Services Egan Journalism Fellowship in October 2013.

Savings and Internal Lending Communities in Rwanda

Community Healing and Reconciliation in Rwanda

Remembering Genocide in Kigali

The Widows of Nyamugali

Eugene O'Neill: Life and Words

Sixty years after the death of the great American playwright Eugene O'Neill, Kevin Spinale S.J. says that his plays "remain powerful because of their honesty. Take another look at the work of a man who struggled mightily to grasp truth."

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Letting Go

Father James Martin, S.J., reflects on his visit to the Artifact Storage Facility, where the Archdiocese of New York stores old statues, crucifixes and other religious pieces from churches that have closed.

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Women in the Life Of the Church

To accompany America's special Oct. 28 issue: Women in the Life Of the Church, a collection of contemporary artwork by Catholic women.

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'Pride and Prejudice' Through the Years

A photo gallery of illustrations and pictures celebrating the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice. This gallery accompanies the article "Pride and Principle: The spiritual side of Jane Austen's novels" by Julie Rattey.

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The Skulls of Bisesero: Remembering Rwanda's Genocide

William Collins Donahue visits the Rwandan Genocide Memorial at Bisesero. These images accompany his p iece written in the July 1 issue.

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Ignatius' Way: A New Pilgrim Path

In the March 4 issue Chris Lowney writes about the new Ignacio camino, a pilgrim route that visits many of the sites associated with the life of St. Ignatius Loyola. Here we present highlights from the journey.

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Lowell's Native Son

James T. Keane visited Jack Keroauc's hometown of Lowell, Mass. on the 90th anniversary of the writer's birth. This slideshow accompanies Keane's essay on Kerouac.

Print magazine

Online Access and Digital Subscriptions

The Beatification of Oscar Romero

Remembering Romero

Memory and Healing in El Salvador

The Restoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral

California Missions

A Terrible Beauty

And the Red Hat Goes To...

An Option for the Poor in Honduras

Pope Francis at the Church of the Gesù

Reporting from Rwanda

Eugene O'Neill: Life and Words

Letting Go

Women in the Life Of the Church

'Pride and Prejudice' Through the Years

The Skulls of Bisesero: Remembering Rwanda's Genocide

Ignatius' Way: A New Pilgrim Path

Lowell's Native Son

The Art of Ferdinand Hodler

A Journey to Baggot Street

The World of Warhol

Cathedral of Christ the Light

New Traditional Churches

At Home with Catholic Writers

The Work of Catholic Relief Servives

The Sacred Arts

Rembrandt's Jesus

Worship Space Today

The Vatican's Coins of the Realm

The Mosaics of Marko Rupnik, S.J.

Rising from the Rubble

In The World of Khubilai Khan

Christian Life in the Middle East

Matisse's Reinvention

A Requiem for St. Vincent's

The Greening of Detroit

The Monks of Kintsvisi

Catholic Life in Vietnam

Crisis in Honduras

Mexico Tipico

Haiti Weeps

Rowan Williams Accepts Campion Award

After the Storm

Kandinsky's Creations

Berrigan and the Peace Movement

Passion Week in Peru

Holy Week at The Casa

America's Century in Pictures

The Treasures of Pompeii

Along the Camino

The Art of George Tooker

Praying with Icons

In the Steps of Saint Paul

The Art of Olafur Eliasson

Benedict in America

Animals in Distress

Praying with Art

Pilgrimage to Chimayo

The Art of Alfonse Borysewicz

Too many voices are not being heard in the Catholic Church today.

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