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The Paulist Press is a major component of the work of the Paulist Fathers, a society of missionary priests founded for and by Americans in 1858. Their leader, Fr. Isaac Hecker, sought a way to share the gospel of Jesus and the rich traditions of American Catholicism with the people of his time. He began by preaching missions and speaking in public lecture halls. These methods met with some success but reached only a limited number of people. Fr. Hecker wanted to make contact with those who would never set foot in a church. So he turned to the printed word. The first product of his vision was a monthly publication, the Catholic World magazine. He wanted to create an intellectual journal for a growing Catholic population, and insisted that it be a first-class publication in format, quality, and style, equal if not superior to any secular magazine in the country. The Catholic World, later reconstituted as the New Catholic World, was to continue in existence for well over a century.