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 Saint Mary's Press is a nonprofit, Catholic publisher administered by the Christian Brothers of the Midwest Province. Saint Mary's Press is a contemporary expression of the Catholic Church's mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Lasallian mission to provide a human and Christian education for young people, including those who are economically deprived. Saint Mary's Press dates from 1943, when Brother Alphonsus Pluth, FSC, began publishing high school religion resources.
With our partners in schools, parishes, and families, we share the Good News of Jesus Christ with Catholic Christian youth, ages 10-19, through publications and services.
Table of Contents
Our Founder
Our Mission
Publications
Experiences
Philanthropic Commitment
Special Recognition
Facilities
Winona, Minnesota
Policy of Nondiscrimination
For More Information
Our Founder
Alphonsus Pluth, FSC
1913-1986
Br. Alphonsus Pluth was one of the pioneers in catechetics, breaking new ground as a Christian Brother, an author,
an editor, a printer, and a publisher.
Brother Alphonsus, while at De La Salle High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota),
purchased a used printing press in 1947. Operating on a shoestring budget in a back room and with little affirmation, he
composed the first in a series of high school texts, Living with Christ, based on lesson plans submitted by the Brothers.
In 1954, he and his press moved into a former laundry room in a basement at Saint Mary's University (Winona, Minnesota).
As sub-director of the student brothers' community, Brother Alphonsus had the young brothers prepare for publication the
revised lesson plans submitted by high school teachers.
Saint Mary's Press moved into its own building in 1967.
Brother Alphonsus directed Saint Mary's Press until his retirement in 1974. The company survived the post-Vatican Council II
uncertainty in religious publishing in the 1970s, and in 1997, the Press sold approximately 634,000 books, of which 276,000 were
high school textbooks. The 634,000 books represented 507 titles. In March 1990, Saint Mary's Press dedicated
a major addition to its building.
Brother Alphonsus constantly emphasized high-quality work. "Nothing flawed," he insisted,
"leaves this room, except in the wastebasket." His life reflected the beauty of creation through his lifelong interest in gardening, music, and nature.
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Our Mission
Who we are: Our Legacy
Saint Mary's Press is a contemporary expression of the Catholic Church's mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Lasallian mission to provide a human and Christian education for young people, including those who are economically deprived. Saint Mary's Press dates from 1943, when Brother Alphonsus Pluth, FSC, began publishing high school religion resources.
Why we exist: Our Core Purpose
To enliven young peoples' hearts and minds with the Good News of Jesus Christ!
What we do: Our Core Strategic Focus
With our partners, in schools, parishes, and families, we share the Good News of Jesus Christ with Catholic Christian youth, ages 10-19, using all appropriate means and media through publications and services.
What we value: Our Core Values
- We carry forward the Lasallian tradition of educating and forming in faith youth of all cultures and all economic circumstances.
- We share the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the good of young people.
- We respect all members of the Saint Mary's Press family by nurturing their personal and professional well-being, and at the same time, strive to nurture the human community through our work.
- We produce affordable goods and services marked by quality and excellence, innovation and creativity in pedagogy and presentation.
How we do it: Our Core Commitments
- We foster the personal well-being and professional growth of our employees.
- We create materials and services that engage young peoples' participation, affirm their innate goodness, inspire their hearts and minds, vitalize their relationships, and nourish their faith and life.
- We create relevant, effective, active, and life-affirming materials and services for our partners.
- We produce timely, effective, attractive, and durable materials that are economical and environmentally friendly.
- We market our materials and services as widely as possible and at fair prices, allowing us to continue to our mission.
- We listen and respond to our partners in ways that build their trust in their relationships with us.
- We define excellence in dialogue with our partners.
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Publications
In 2006, SMP shipped over 703,800 books, from an active list of 500 titles, across the United States and to the entire English-speaking world. Sales of these publications totaled over $8,000,000.
Saint Mary's Press develops and publishes materials along four major lines: (1) Catholic high school religion textbooks and resources, (2) parish religious education and youth ministry resources, (3) the Bible and supplemental resources, and (4) teen spirituality resources. Saint Mary's Press continues to make available a limited number of adult spirituality and prayer resources.
A new Saint Mary's Press College Publishing Division, launched its first entry-level college theology and ethics texts in spring 2006, including
The Saint Mary's Press Glossary of Theological Terms Encountering Ancient Voices: A Study of the Old Testament, An Introduction to Health Care Ethics: Theological Foundations, Contemporary Issues, and Controversial Cases.
With 12 titles as of Fall 2008 and many more to come, the Saint Mary's Press College Publishing Division is committed to provide effective, relevant, and enlightening texts.
 The Bible Publisher for Teens
Saint Mary's Press is the leading Catholic publisher of religion and spirituality texts for teens in the U.S.A. Since its publication in February 2000, The Catholic Youth Bible® has sold over one million copies. The Catholic Youth Bible® is available in two translations: the New Revised Standard Version and the
New American Bible translation.
In it's first year of publication, Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics
has sold over 50,000 copies. Breakthrough! is the first Bible written for the
pre-teen
age group and utilizes a proprietary form of anime illustration to
engage young
people in the Scriptures.
Saint Mary's Press carries a full line of materials for both of these Bibles to promote Bible literacy among Catholic youth.
The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth is a comprehensive and practical references containing the important teachings and beliefs of the Catholic Church. Since it's first publication in 2004 and a current new edition for 2008, The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth has sold over 222,000 copies.
The Catholic Youth Prayer Book has sold over 20,000 copies in the first nine months of publication, offering parishes and schools, as well as young people in their homes a beautiful prayer book of traditional and contemporary Catholic prayers and forms of prayer.
 Saint Mary's Press also produces products in nonprint media, making resources
available on audiocassette, videotape, DVD, CD-ROM, and the Internet.
Saint Mary's Press continues to explore and develop new media for effectively
transmitting resources and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Saint Mary's Press introduced its entry into the teen gift market in 2007 with a new line: Saint Mary's Press® Gift Boutique, distinctive gifts for defining moments and gifts to touch their hearts.
The Saint Mary's Press Web sites (www.smp.org, gifts.smp.org and college.smp.org) provide abundant resources for Catholic high school religion teachers, middle school teachers, college educators and students, parish directors of religious education, youth ministers, and parents. Online ordering is available through all three Web catalogs.
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Experiences
In the 1940s Br. Alphonsus Pluth, FSC, founder of Saint Mary's Press, began preparing and distributing weekly lesson plans for teaching the Sunday Gospel to the brothers who were teaching religion in high schools throughout the Midwest. Since that time Saint Mary's Press's publications have increased significantly in content and volume, but Saint Mary's Press has never lost sight of its mission to provide assistance to educators as well to students.
 In 2003, Saint Mary's Press began a new project called "YES! Youth Engaging Scripture." This project engages youth in reading and reflecting on the Bible. "YES!" gathers young people in small groups of peers, facilitated by a peer leader, to share reflections on the Scriptures. When the "YES!" groups meet, they use a modified process of lectio divina. Training is provided to teen peer leaders and their adult mentors through a "YES!" congress on the Bible. A peer leader's guide also assists the young people in their weekly gatherings. Since 2003, over 2,700 teen peer leaders and adult mentors have been trained.
Saint Mary's Press also publishes Connect, a free online newsletter for religion teachers, campus ministers, and principals of Catholic high schools in the United States.
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Philanthropic Commitment
In the spirit of John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers Religious Institute, SMP has long been committed to distributing its "profits" for the common good, especially for the care of the poor.
Saint Mary's Press has operated The Catholic Youth Bible grant program since 2000. Saint Mary's Press donates Bibles to teens incarcerated or living in dentention centers, as wells as to parishes and schools serving young people living in poverty. Since its inception, Saint Mary's Press has donated close to 50,000 Bibles to individuals and institutions.
In 1993, Saint Mary's Press funded the start-up of Instituto Fe y Vida, a nonprofit corporation that functions solely as a training institute for Hispanic youth leaders who bring the Good News to Hispanic young people in the United States. SMP publishes several of Fe y Vida's printed materials. Over the years, Saint Mary's Press has invested several-million-dollars in the good work of Instituto Fe y Vida, based in Stockton, California.
During the early 1980s, the Christian Brothers who worked at SMP started what has become the Saint Mary's Press Lasallian Education Fund. The fund's capital has been built through the donated salaries of brothers who have worked at SMP since 1988. The fund is now held and administered by the Christian Brothers of the Midwest Province. The fund's purpose is to provide monies for projects that advance religious education in a Lasallian manner, beyond the normal scope of the SMP publishing business. Through the year 2006, more than $1,188,000 has been awarded to grantees.
In 1988, Saint Mary's University established a scholarship in honor of Br. Alphonsus Pluth. Since the inception of the scholarship, sixty-four scholarship grants have been given to Saint Mary's University students, totaling $130,000. The endowment has grown from an initial grant from Saint Mary's Press of $25,000 to its current value of $237,000.
Br. Alphonsus Pluth, FSC, founder of Saint Mary's Press, believed that lay employees of SMP should receive a just and fair salary, and the means to provide for their needs in retirement. Hence SMP employees receive generous profit-sharing benefits that are deposited directly into their 401k retirement programs.
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Special Recognition
Since 1973, Saint Mary's Press has been recognized by the Printing Industry of America for excellence in printing and graphic arts and has been awarded twenty-three national Graphic Arts Awards. Saint Mary's Press is a three-time recipient (1983, 1998, and 2005) of the premier Printing Industry of America's Benny Award (the printing industry's equivalent to the Oscar or Emmy awards) for the best of category in high school textbooks. In 1997, the Small Press Book Award was granted to Saint Mary's Press for excellence in independent publishing. In 1995, 1998,1999, and 2005, the Catholic Press Association awarded Saint Mary's Press its honored Book Award.
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Facilities
Saint Mary's Press is located in Winona, Minnesota, on the campus of Saint Mary's University. Saint Mary's Press is housed in a 35,000-square-foot building on property owned by the Christian Brothers of the Midwest Province. The facility houses fifty-seven full- and part-time employees.
Winona, Minnesota
Winona's 27,000 residents enjoy outdoor recreation, cultural offerings, and educational opportunities at Saint Mary's University, Winona State University, and Minnesota State College Southeast Technical. Winona is located on the Mississippi River, two hours southeast of Minneapolis and Saint Paul; 45 minutes east of Rochester, Minnesota; 30 minutes north of La Crosse, Wisconsin; and 275 miles northwest of Chicago. Winona is accessible by Amtrak, bus, and two airports in Rochester and La Crosse.
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Policy of Nondiscrimination
Saint Mary's Press adheres to the principle that all persons have equal opportunity and access to employment regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or disability. Address questions about this policy to the human resource director, 507-457-7900.
For More Information
For more information about Saint Mary's Press, visit the Saint Mary's Press home page at http://www.smp.org, or call toll-free at 800-533-8095.
Saint Mary's Press
702 Terrace Heights
Winona, MN 55987-1318
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