Happy Birthday, America!

Today marks the hundredth anniversary of America magazine. The founder was Father John J. Wynne, the Jesuit who conceived the idea of the Catholic Encyclopedia. Wynne had edited the Jesuits’ Messenger of the Sacred Heart since the 1890’s, but he wanted to create a magazine that was less devotional and more wide-ranging so that readers might “find God in all things.” The title was meant to show the magazine’s scope, and it was subtitled “Catholic Review of the Week.” From the beginning the magazine has been the work of Jesuits from across the United States, not just a single Jesuit province. In the latest issue, Charles Morris has a great history of the journal. All I can add is my voice to the many who say, Happy birthday, America!