U.S. Catholic puts faith in the context of everyday life, with a strong focus on social justice. Since 1935 we have been a courageous, forward-thinking forum for discussion among a broad range of voices.
U.S. Catholic believes that Catholicism is a spiritual path that leads to a richer life. We help our readers explore the wisdom of the Catholic faith tradition and apply that faith to the challenges of 21st-century life. We celebrate the vibrance and diversity of contemporary Catholicism and aim to inspire readers with a positive vision of the Catholic faith. We conduct our mission with the conviction that the Catholic Church responds to humanity’s deepest longings and aspirations.
At the same time, U.S. Catholic honestly probes the challenges and choices, controversies and conflicts Catholics encounter in their church, society, and private and public lives. U.S. Catholic does not claim to have all the answers but is committed to voicing and raising the questions American Catholics grapple with as they reflect on and strive to live their faith.
Mission in practice
- U.S. Catholic puts great emphasis on entering into conversation with Catholics from around the country and providing an open, independent, and intelligent forum for their views. Each issue features the voices of U.S. Catholic readers in surveys and letters, and reporting articles seek out the insights of lay Catholics on a variety of issues.
- U.S. Catholic helps readers apply their faith to questions of family, work, parish life, social issues, and public life. We are committed to helping readers nurture a rich spiritual life.
- U.S. Catholic shuns jargon and purely intellectual debate and instead seeks to make accessible to lay Catholics the valuable work being done by theologians, scripture scholars, and other experts. We press scholars on the way average Catholics can apply academic insights to the challenge of living faith-filled lives.
Published by the Claretian Missionaries
U.S. Catholic is published by the Claretian Missionaries, a Roman Catholic religious community of priests and brothers dedicated to living and spreading the gospel of Jesus. Following in the footsteps of St. Anthony Claret—a prolific writer and publisher whom Pope Pius XI called the “modern apostle of the good press”—the Claretians in the United States began their publishing ministry in 1935 with The Voice of St. Jude. In 1963, during the Second Vatican Council, the magazine became U.S. Catholic.
Inspired by the Second Vatican Council
Almost 90 years after its founding, U.S. Catholic continues to be inspired by Vatican II in its commitment to engage every corner of Catholicism’s “big tent.” As it was in 1963, our goal continues to be to reach out to both practicing Catholics and those disillusioned by the church, showing them what the church can be. Our hope is that every story we publish—from reported features to reflective essays to interviews with theologians—makes readers think about their faith a little differently.
