Redemptorist Communications Celebrate 75th Anniversary

Reality.  75 years is a major milestone for any publication but, in today’s climate, it is an amazing achievement for a religious magazine.

On Saturday 19th November, Redemptorist Communications hosted a celebration for 75 years of its magazine

The first issue of what was then called The Redemptorist Record was published in November 1936.  Its purpose was clear: to communicate the Good News of Christ the Redeemer in a world that was at that time confronting the twin challenges of communism and fascism; to continue the writing tradition passed on to his followers by St Alphonsus, founder of the Redemptorists, and to promote the missionary work of the Irish Redemptorists at home and abroad.

Thirty years later, in October 1966, The Redemptorist Record became Reality.  The changing shape of the church was now reflected in the pages of the new Reality.  It was an exciting time, and the magazine tried to be a forum which promoted the renewal and reform that were at the heart of the Council and the dialogue with other churches and the wider world that it encouraged.

Indeed, the quality of contributors and contributions to the magazine during those years is striking.  Associate Editors like Louis McRedmond, Maeve Binchy, John Horgan, Miriam Hederman, and Michael Viney ensured Reality was topical, intelligent and lively.  The magazine played a significant role in trying to bring the vision and promise of Vatican II to the Irish faithful, even while the editor at the time had to contend not with one archdiocesan-appointed censor but with three!  John Charles McQuaid may not have been a devoted reader of this magazine, but he certainly kept an eye on it.

Marking the anniversary, Fr Gerard Moloney, Editor said: “The Ireland of 2011 is a vastly different country to that of 40 or even 20 years ago, and the church in Ireland is vastly different too.  The spirit of hope that gripped many in the church in the early post-conciliar years is long gone, replaced now by a sense of paralysis, crisis and fear.  The drip, drip, drip effect of scandal after scandal, as well as the relentless march of an aggressive secularism, have left Catholics feeling battered, bewildered and betrayed”.

Fr Gerard added: “These have been difficult years for the Irish religious press also.  Several magazines have gone to the wall; others are finding it hard to keep going. And yet, it is abundantly clear that if ever we needed a robust religious press in Ireland, we need it now.  The secular press in Ireland has become increasingly antagonistic towards the church and religion, and greater efforts are being made to silence the religious voice.  We need a Catholic media to champion the Catholic perspective and to which Catholics can turn for support, information, and guidance”.

As Reality celebrates 75 years, it pledges to continue to ‘inform, inspire, and challenge’ its readers for many years to come.
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As part of the anniversary celebrations, 'Reality Awards' were presented to honour the best in the life of the Church in Ireland.

Awards were made to the following in the following categories – Youth Organisation of the Year:    Church Organisation of the Year:    Media:   Religious Author / Book of the Year:    Special Recognition:   People of the Year:   Lifetime Achievement:  

 Presentation to President McAleese with a Reality Magazine Award along with an Icon of St John the Baptist written by the Redemptoristine Nuns