Even after more than 150 years, Ave Maria Press remains committed to the core mission set by Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., in 1865 as he established the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. Ave was the third apostolate of Holy Cross founded in the US by the missionary priest, following the University of Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Parish in South Bend, Indiana. Fr. Sorin started The Ave Maria magazine to honor Mary, focus on Catholic families, and showcase the best American Catholic writing. The first issue was a 16-page weekly edited by Fr. Sorin himself. Many had doubts about whether the publication would survive because of the fate of other Catholic periodicals, as well as the mainly poor, immigrant makeup of the American Church, but The Ave Maria did thrive for more than 100 years and at one time was the most popular Catholic magazine in the country.

Now established as a major Catholic book publisher and still under the ownership of the United States Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Ave Maria Press is home to Sorin Books, Forest of Peace, and Christian Classics. It perpetuates Fr. Sorin’s vision to honor Mary and provides an important outlet for good Catholic writing and remains one of the oldest, continually operating Catholic publishing houses in the country and a leader in publishing Catholic high school religion textbooks, ministry resources, and books on prayer and spirituality.