Baronius Press is a traditional
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
book publisher. It was founded in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, in 2002 by former
St Austin Press editor Ashley Paver and other young Catholics who had previously worked in publishing and printing. The press takes its name from the cardinal
Cesare Baronius, a
Neapolitan
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
Geography and history
* Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city
* Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...
ecclesiastical historian who lived from 1538 to 1607. Its logo is a
biretta
The biretta ( la, biretum, birretum) is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three-peaked biretta is worn by Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. A four-peaked bire ...
, which together with a
cassock
The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...
forms the traditional image of a Catholic priest.
History and publications
The original objective of Baronius Press was to raise the quality of traditional Catholic books in order to make them more appealing to a wider audience. Baronius Press aimed to achieve this goal by retypesetting classic Catholic books (rather than republishing facsimiles) and binding them using high quality coverings such as leather. The advantages of retypesetting are clearer text and the ability to use modern layouts.
The first publication of the Baronius Press was a new edition of the
Douay–Rheims Bible
The Douay–Rheims Bible (, ), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by member ...
. This was significant because no
digitally typeset edition had been previously released. A pocket edition and a Psalms and New Testament edition followed, and, in 2007, a giant size format was added to the range.
In 2008, their range of Bibles was expanded by a parallel Douay–Rheims /
Clementine Vulgate
The Sixto-Clementine Vulgate or Clementine Vulgate () is the edition wikt:promulgate, promulgated in 1592 by Pope Clement VIII of the Vulgate—a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible that was written largely by Jerome. It was the second ...
, which includes the appendix to the Old Testament which contains the
Prayer of Manasseh
The Prayer of Manasses, also known as the Prayer of Manasseh is a short work of 15 verses recording a penitential prayer attributed to king Manasseh of Judah.
Its canonicity is disputed. The majority of scholars believe that the Prayer of Manass ...
,
3 Esdras, and
4 Esdras
2 Esdras (also called 4 Esdras, Latin Esdras, or Latin Ezra) is an apocalyptic book in some English versions of the Bible. Tradition ascribes it to Ezra, a scribe and priest of the , but scholarship places its composition between 70 and .
It ...
.
In 2004, Baronius Press published a new 1962 missal in cooperation with the
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, bearing an
imprimatur
An ''imprimatur'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''impr.'', from Latin, "let it be printed") is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. The imprimatur rule in the R ...
from
Bishop Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz, for use at the
traditional Roman mass. This was the first missal intended for use at the traditional mass with an
imprimatur
An ''imprimatur'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''impr.'', from Latin, "let it be printed") is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. The imprimatur rule in the R ...
to be published in more than 35 years. A new edition coinciding with
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
's 2007
motu proprio
In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term ''sua sponte'' for the same concept.
In Catholic canon law, it refers to a do ...
''
Summorum Pontificum
''Summorum Pontificum'' (English: "Of the Supreme Pontiffs") is an apostolic letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued in July 2007. This letter specifies the circumstances in which priests of the Latin Church could celebrate mass according to what Ben ...
'' was named the Motu Proprio edition of the 1962 Missal. It was noted in several Catholic newspapers and journals that it is currently the only 1962 Missal being published with a valid imprimatur.
Later in 2004, Baronius released a series of leather bound Catholic classics with the aim of expanding its range. By the end of 2006, the company had over 40 titles in print with the release of a new paperback series called Christian Classics.
Baronius published a new edition of the
Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Hours of the Virgin, is a liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in imitation of, and usually in addition to, the Divine Office in the Catholic Church. It is a cycle of psalms, ...
that contained all of the relevant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...
s in October 2007. It was the first book to contain the complete music for the office. Websites complained that it contained several minor errors, and a revised edition correcting these was published at the end of 2008. In April 2012, its much anticipated Latin-English
Roman Breviary
The Roman Breviary (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Breviarium Romanum'') is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical Catholic prayer, prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notati ...
was published, having been granted an imprimatur by Bishop
Fabian Bruskewitz
Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz (born September 6, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska, from 1992 to 2012. He is known for often taking conservative stands on social i ...
. Both the Breviary and the Little Office published by Baronius conform to the ''editio typica'' of the Breviary of 1961.
In October 2012, a complete edition of the Bible translated by Ronald Knox was published, with endorsements from Cardinal
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British cardinal, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He sub ...
, Archbishop
Vincent Nichols
Vincent Gerard Nichols (born 8 November 1945) is an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He previously served as Archbishop of Birm ...
, and Anglican Archbishop
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...
.
In 2017 Baronius published an updated edition of
Ludwig Ott
Ludwig Ott (24 October 1906 in Neumarkt-St. Helena – 25 October 1985 in Eichstätt) was a Roman Catholic theologian and medievalist from Bavaria, Germany.
After training at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ott was ordained a ...
's ''Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma''. This edition was edited by Robert Fastiggi, who also translated the latest edition of
Denzinger's ''
Enchiridion Symbolorum
The ''Enchiridion'' (full title: ''Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum'') is a compendium of all the basic texts on Catholic dogma and morality since the Apostolic Age. It has been in use since 1854, and ...
'' into English, incorporating a better translation of the German edition (including changes made by Ott himself after the Second Vatican Council), correcting some errors that had appeared in earlier English versions, and included references to Denzinger and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It received an Imprimatur from Bishop
Malcolm McMahon
Malcolm Patrick McMahon, OP, KC*HS (born 14 June 1949) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2014, he has been the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool. Previously, he was Bishop of Nottingham from 2000 to 2014.
Early life an ...
of Liverpool, United Kingdom and a foreword by Bishop
Athanasius Schneider
Athanasius Schneider, ORC (born Anton Schneider on 7 April 1961) is a Catholic prelate, serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan. He is a member of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross of Coimbra. He is known for championing th ...
of Astana, Kazakhstan.
Legal matters
''Baronius Press, Ltd. v. Saint Benedict Press, LLC''
On 29 September 2016, Baronius filed a civil
lawsuit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
against
TAN Books
TAN Books is a traditionalist Catholic American book distributor and publisher.
History
TAN Books was founded in 1967, as "TAN Books and Publishers," in Rockford, Illinois by Thomas A. Nelson (not to be confused with the founder of the Bible-pub ...
, a North Carolina-based Catholic publisher, and its parent company,
Saint Benedict Press
Saint Benedict Press, LLC, a division of Goodwill Publishers, is a Roman Catholic publisher founded in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006, now operating in Gastonia, North Carolina.
History
The "Saint Benedict Press Classics" line began in 2006, s ...
. The lawsuit alleged that TAN had violated Baronius's ownership of the copyright for the English translation of
Ludwig Ott
Ludwig Ott (24 October 1906 in Neumarkt-St. Helena – 25 October 1985 in Eichstätt) was a Roman Catholic theologian and medievalist from Bavaria, Germany.
After training at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ott was ordained a ...
's ''Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma'' (''Grundriß der katholischen Dogmatik'' in the original German) by reprinting the book in the United States following Baronius's 2009 purchase of the rights to the English translation from the original copyright holders. The English translation of ''Fundamentals'' had been in the public domain in the United States since its initial publication in 1954, as U.S. copyright law in effect at the time did not provide automatic copyright protection to works initially published in foreign countries (the English translation of ''Fundamentals'' was originally published in Ireland).
TAN began reprinting the English translation in 1974 under the assumption that ''Fundamentals'' was, in fact, a public domain work in the U.S. TAN ceased publication of ''Fundamentals'' in 1996 following the possibility that the book had acquired copyrighted status in the United States as a restored work on 1 January 1996 under the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act
The Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA; ) is an Act of Congress in the United States that implemented in U.S. law the Marrakesh Agreement of 1994. The Marrakesh Agreement was part of the Uruguay Round of negotiations which transformed the General ...
. TAN elected to reprint again ''Fundamentals'' in 2013 in hardcover, prompting Baronius to file suit against Saint Benedict Press for copyright violation.
The lawsuit was settled on 25 March 2019. As a result of the settlement, TAN/SBP was forced to cease publication not only of ''Fundamentals'', but also other works it had published to which Baronius had subsequently acquired the exclusive English-language rights, including Francois Trochu's ''Saint Bernadette Soubirous'' and ''The Sermons of the Curé d'Ars'' and numerous works by
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language.
Etymology and history
The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...
.
Hardback book list
*
Douay–Rheims Bible
The Douay–Rheims Bible (, ), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by member ...
* Msgr
Knox's Translation of the Vulgate
''The Holy Bible: A Translation From the Latin Vulgate in the Light of the Hebrew and Greek Originals'' is a Catholic version of the Bible in three volumes (later published in one volume editions) translated by Monsignor Ronald Knox, the English ...
Bible
* 1962
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...
Missal (motu proprio edition)
* 1961 Latin-English Roman
Breviary
A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times.
Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such a ...
* 1961
Little Office of the Blessed Virgin
*
Rule of Saint Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...
by St
Benedict
Benedict may refer to:
People Names
*Benedict (given name), including a list of people with the given name
*Benedict (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Religious figures
* Pope Benedict I (died 579), head of the Catholic Chu ...
*
Dark Night of the Soul
''Dark Night of the Soul'' ( es, La noche oscura del alma) is a poem written by the 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet St. John of the Cross. The author himself did not give any title to his poem, on which he wrote two book-length commentari ...
by St
John of the Cross
John of the Cross, OCD ( es, link=no, Juan de la Cruz; la, Ioannes a Cruce; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major fi ...
*
The Way of Perfection
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
by St
Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila, OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; 28 March 15154 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.
Active during th ...
*
The Story of a Soul
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
by St
Thérèse of Lisieux
Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...
*
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by St
Louis de Montfort
Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (31 January 1673 – 28 April 1716) was a French Roman Catholic priest and confessor. He was known in his time as a preacher and was made a missionary apostolic by Pope Clement XI.
As well as preaching, Montfort ...
* Dolorous Passion by Blessed
Anne Catherine Emmerich
Anne Catherine Emmerich (also ''Anna Katharina Emmerick''; 8 September 1774 – 9 February 1824) was a Roman Catholic Augustinian Canoness Regular of Windesheim, mystic, Marian visionary, ecstatic and stigmatist.
She was born in Flamschen, a ...
* Meditations and Devotions by St
John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...
*
Imitation of Christ
In Christian theology, the imitation of Christ is the practice of following the example of Jesus.''A concise dictionary of theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 page 115''Imitating Jesus: an inclusive approach to New Testament ...
by
Thomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471; german: Thomas von Kempen; nl, Thomas van Kempen) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of ''The Imitation of Christ'', published anonymously in Latin in the N ...
* The Holy Mass by Dom
Prosper Guéranger
Prosper Louis Pascal Guéranger (; commonly referred to as Dom Guéranger, 4 April 1805, Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France – 30 January 1875, Solesmes, France) was a French priest and Benedictine monk, who served for nearly 40 years as the Abbot of ...
* Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine by Archbishop
Michael Sheehan
* The
Catechism of the Council of Trent
The Roman Catechism or Catechism of the Council of Trent is a compendium of Catholic doctrine commissioned during the Counter-Reformation by the Council of Trent, to expound doctrine and to improve the theological understanding of the clergy. ...
* Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by
Ludwig Ott
Ludwig Ott (24 October 1906 in Neumarkt-St. Helena – 25 October 1985 in Eichstätt) was a Roman Catholic theologian and medievalist from Bavaria, Germany.
After training at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ott was ordained a ...
* The
Baltimore Catechism
''A Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Prepared and Enjoined by Order of the Third Council of Baltimore'', or simply the ''Baltimore Catechism'', was the national Catholic catechism for children in the United States, based on Robert Bellarmine's 161 ...
(Numbers 1-4)
References
{{Reflist
External links
Baronius Press
Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom
Christian publishing companies
Catholic media
Publishing companies established in 2003
Catholic publishing companies