Catholic Book Publishing Co

Manga Pope

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — A comic book entitled Habemus Papam! , chronicling the life of Pope Benedict XVI, will be distributed during the World Youth Day gathering in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 16-21.

Manga Hero, based in San Rafael, Calif., is behind the content. Jonathan Lin created the exclusively, and unapologetically, Catholic comic book-publishing company in 2010. He uses an Asian twist on the more traditional superhero comic books with which Americans are familiar.

His decision to get involved with World Youth Day 2011 is an example of divine Providence at work.

“I have a friend who knew someone who worked at the World Youth Day headquarters, who then told me where to submit a proposal to World Youth Day 2011. They asked us to develop a plot that highlights the Pope’s message to young people from past WYDs he attended, as well as the theme for this year’s WYD. The organizing committee then approved the proposal, and, thus, Habemus Papam! was born. We’re printing 300,000 copies, half in English and half in Spanish.”

Manga is a publishing category for Japanese-style graphic novels, typically intended for adults and characterized by highly stylized art, utilizing bold, exaggerated drawings. The style came to the forefront in the mid-1980s and has only recently come to the United States. Anime is the animated version of manga. Americans and Europeans might be familiar with manga and anime if they have children who are fans of Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh! and Dragon Ball Z . Baby boomers might remember Astro Boy and Speed Racer as early forms of manga.

The new comic about the Holy Father, written by Gabrielle Gniewek, a student at John Paul the Great University in San Diego, fits well into Manga Hero’s repertoire.

Catholic Book Publishing Corporation Celebrates 100th Anniversary ...

TOTOWA, N. J. — This year the Catholic Book Publishing Corporation is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding by John V. Cavalero on 12th Street in New York City in 1911.

Orphaned through a tragic car accident and equipped with only a fifth-grade education, Cavalero grew the company with the help of many family members, including brothers George and Louis.

Under their direction and hard work, Catholic Book Publishing prospered in the printing and binding industry, working primarily with religious orders. In 1937 the company relocated to two floors of a nine-story facility on West 17th Street, eventually expanding to be the building’s sole occupant with its first printing of the Missal for Sunday Worship.

Work on their Douay-Rheims Bible began in 1945, culminating in the publishing of the first edition in 1949. John’s son Howard, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, was instrumental in developing and launching the St. Joseph Sunday Missal in 1950 and soon thereafter the Daily Missal. As the company grew to more than 300 employees, children’s books were added in 1955 and the first Baltimore Catechism was added in 1961.

With the change to vernacular English mandated by Vatican II, sales of books in Latin plummeted, causing most Catholic publishers to close or change their publishing strategies. In 1969 Catholic Book Publishing voluntarily downsized, selling off equipment and laying off a large number of the staff.

The remaining staff, including Anthony Buono who celebrated his 50th year with the company in 2007, worked to develop liturgical books in English. Despite the uncertainty and constant changes in the Church during this time, the St. Joseph New American Bible and the complete Lectionary were released in 1970, followed by the first complete Sacramentary in 1974 and the four-volume Liturgy of the Hours in 1975. Three years later the company launched its first full-color St. Joseph Picture Book. The 100th book in this series, named after the company’s patron saint, will be released in 2011.

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