Account Login Contact Us ARCHBISHOP NOLL Archbishop John Francis Noll was a missionary at heart, whose influence extended through the printed word and his work as a bishop in the Catholic Church. JOHN FRANCIS NOLL WAS BORN IN 1875 IN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ONE OF 19 CHILDREN. When he was 13, he entered a preparatory seminary and went on to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati for his theology and philosophy studies, where he was ordained at the age of 23. Ten years after his ordination, Father Noll bought a printing press for just $1 and hired a team to help him with publications. On May 5th, 1912, Fr. John Francis Noll created the first 35,000 copies of Our Sunday Visitor which were sent to priests and parishes across the United States. By the end of the year, Fr. Noll had sent out over 200,000 copies of the paper. Over the next two years, Our Sunday Visitor reached a circulation of 1,000,000, becoming one of the world’s largest Catholic Publishers. Through his various publications and generous financial assistance to Church projects, Fr. Noll became well-known for his astute understanding of Church issues and was consequently asked to join the boards of many national organizations, including the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Church Extension Society. He was assigned the title of monsignor for only four years until he was named fifth bishop of Fort Wayne in 1925. Because of his experience with national and international issues, Bishop Noll was named secretary of what is now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and was a longtime member of its administrative committee. In his role, he again demonstrated his foresight about the coming information age, helping to launch Catholic News Service and the “Catholic Hour” on NBC radio with fellow Archbishop Fulton Sheen. He then began Catholic Charities to aid families and children who were devastated by the Depression and oversaw a massive building program of churches, schools, hospitals, a seminary and an orphanage. As a sign of Vatican esteem, Bishop Noll was given the honorary title of Archbishop in 1953. PARISH & DIOCESE Parish Services Increased Offertory Program Parish Capital Campaign Capital Campaign Prep Diocesan Appeals Envelope Solutions State of the Parish Report Special Mailings New Hope Solutions Webcasts Curriculum Programs Early Childhood Grades 1-8 Young Adolescents Sacrament Preparation Vacation Bible School Faith at Home Consulting Services Parish Vision Plan Change Management Tracking Team Communication Training Conflict Resolution Training Publishing News & Commentary Magazines Books New Hope Book Club Pamphlets Parent Letters Digital Solutions Faith at Home Church Manager Online Giving Parish Websites SCHOOLS Curriculum Early Childhood Grades 1-8 Young Adolescents Sacrament Preparation Vacation Bible School Faith at Home Books, Media & Gifts Children & Young Adults Music & DVDs Spanish Apparel Prayer Cards Electronics Support Resources School Annual Fund School Solutions Visual Aids Toys & Games Special Needs Other Resources Teaching Catholic Kids FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS Books & Media Bibles DVDs Prayer Books & Devotionals Lent, Easter, Advent, & Christmas Catholic Marriage & Parenting Inspirational Living the Faith OSV Authors Faith Resources Catholic Wedding Help Teaching Catholic Kids Homeschool Curriculum Simply Catholic Other Resources OSV Kids Our Sunday Visitor Radiant Magazine Gift Ideas Children's Bibles Children's Books Educational Toys Electronics Music Educational Games Apparel INDIVIDUALS Books, Music, & Gifts Bibles & Bible Studies Biographies Catholic Men's Issues Catholic Women's Issues Marriage & Family Personal Development Prayer & Devotion Sharing the Faith Young Adult New Hope Book Club Publications Our Sunday Visitor Radiant Magazine The Priest Magazine The Deacon Magazine L'Osservatore Romano Other Resources Author Webcasts Webinar Series Free Downloads Gift Ideas Simply Catholic Teaching Catholic Kids Catholic Wedding Help ABOUT OSV Purpose, Mission, Values Archbishop Noll Team OSV Authors Careers OSV Institute Webcasts OTHER RESOURCES Customer Portal Login Advertise With OSV Write for OSV Submit a Prayer Request Sign Up for Newsletters Permissions & Reprints Join our Community Reach Us Our Sunday Visitor, Inc 200 Noll Plaza Huntington, IN 46750 Toll-Free: (800) 348-2440 Phone: (260) 356-8400 For Offertory Solutions: (800) 348-2886 Publishing Fax: (800) 498-6709 Account Login Terms of Use Privacy Policy Copyright © 2021. Our Sunday Visitor