We are the most effective way to get your press release into the hands of reporters and news producers. Check out our client list.



Chief of Largest English-Language Catholic Publisher to Lead Catholic Press Association

Contact: Christine Valentine-Owsik, Valentine Communications, For: Our Sunday Visitor, 215-230-8095, COwsik@osv.com

HUNTINGTON, Ind., June 21, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Just two weeks after his election as the president of the Catholic Press Association (CPA) for the next two years, Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) president and publisher, Gregory Erlandson, will be officially introduced in his new post at the Association's annual meeting this week (June 22-24) in Pittsburgh.

Erlandson, a veteran journalist who has covered Catholicism from many vantage points over his 35-year career, has been at the helm of Our Sunday Visitor's publishing division since November, 2000.  His new term with CPA begins at the close of the annual Catholic Media Convention this Friday, June 24.

"These are challenging times for the Catholic press, many of whom are diocesan newspapers seeing budgetary pressures force staff cuts, reduction of publication frequency, and in some cases, complete closing of their doors," says Erlandson.  "But where there's a challenge, there's also an opportunity for a rethinking of Catholic communications strategies, in which print continues to play an important part -- even if not the exclusive one it has enjoyed for many decades."

As president at Our Sunday Visitor, Erlandson has overseen the expansion of the 99-year-old Catholic publisher even throughout the current economic downturn.  In 2009, OSV acquired the Catholic curriculum division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (based in Orlando). Just this past April, it acquired In the Round Design Group (of Canton, Ohio), which specializes in web site development and other online technologies.

Before being named its publisher, Erlandson served as OSV's Editor in Chief since 1992, overseeing its book and periodical editorial departments as well as design department. He was responsible for all editorial content of the company's periodicals, including Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly, the nation's most popular Catholic newspaper, as well as The Catholic Answer and The Priest magazines.

Erlandson began with Our Sunday Visitor in 1989 as Editor of its Newsweekly. Under his tenure, the newsweekly was redesigned and won numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association.

He worked in Rome as correspondent for the Washington, DC-based Catholic News Service from 1986 to 1989, where he covered the Vatican. From 1982 to 1986, he was news editor for the National Catholic Register, a national Catholic newspaper then-based in Los Angeles.

During his years in the Catholic press, Erlandson has won a variety of awards for his writing from the Catholic Press Association, including best general commentary, best news story, best editorial, best family column, and best interview.

Erlandson has also published articles in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Alitalia in-flight magazine and a variety of Catholic publications.

He is a board member of the Association of Catholic Publishers, and a founding board member of Redeemer Catholic Radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Other posts have included the U.S. Bishops' Communications Committee and the Catholic Press Association-Catholic News Service Liaison Committee.

Erlandson studied Journalism at the Graduate School of Journalism of the University of California at Berkeley.  He earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English literature at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Married to Corine Bischetti, Erlandson and his wife have four children.

The world's largest English-language Catholic publisher, Our Sunday Visitor serves millions of Catholics globally through its publishing, offertory, and communication services. Established in 1912, Our Sunday Visitor has grown into the largest supplier of offering envelopes, parish and diocesan mailings, books, periodicals, curriculum, address management, and stewardship services. Our Sunday Visitor is a not-for-profit organization, returning a portion of net earnings back to the Catholic community through the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.  For more information, visit www.osv.com.