The Wanderer (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
The Wanderer is a lay Roman Catholic weekly newspaper
published in St. Paul
, Minnesota
and distributed to a national market. It was founded by Joseph Matt on 7 October 1867. Unlike diocesan publications or those of religious institutes, it is independent of ecclesiastical oversight.
It was originally published in German to minister to German immigrants to Minnesota and the Dakotas who were being "attracted to and influenced by Masonic
and quasi-Masonic German-language newspapers and organizations." A German language edition was published until 1957. The English edition began in 1931.
. It claims to have been one of the first newspapers to decry Nazi
ascendancy as antichristian, and opposed Russia's participation in the Allied response as an "unholy alliance". The Wanderer was also noticed by Joseph Stalin
in these efforts, as a repudiation of the paper's stance was published in Pravda
.
Through the Vatican II years, a dispute over the Council led to Walter Matt leaving The Wanderer to his brother, Alphonse Matt, Sr. In 1967, The Remnant
, was founded by Walter Matt. As The Wanderer states, "For The Wanderer, the council was not a rejection or an abandonment of tradition, but a development of that tradition, safeguarded for 2,000 years by the Holy Spirit, to better enable the Church to continue to bring the gospel to all men."
The Wanderer remains faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, including the Church's prohibition of artificial contraception
and masturbation
. This has often placed the newspaper in opposition to individuals and groups claiming to operate in line with the "spirit of Vatican II." For example, the paper found itself in opposition to the Call to Action
Program in 1976, which advocates reform regarding the Church's official teachings with respect to the position of women and homosexuals within the Church.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and distributed to a national market. It was founded by Joseph Matt on 7 October 1867. Unlike diocesan publications or those of religious institutes, it is independent of ecclesiastical oversight.
Overview
The Wanderer gives the following self-description:- "The Wanderer, a national Catholic weekly journal of news, commentary, and analysis, has been publishing continually since 1867. Owned and operated by Catholic laymen, The Wanderer is independent of ecclesiastical oversight but maintains a fiercely loyal adherence to Catholic doctrine and discipline."
It was originally published in German to minister to German immigrants to Minnesota and the Dakotas who were being "attracted to and influenced by Masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and quasi-Masonic German-language newspapers and organizations." A German language edition was published until 1957. The English edition began in 1931.
History
Early on, it was a major opponent of a perceived "Americanizing" of the Church. That tendency was addressed by Pope Leo XIII in his 1899 apostolic letter, Testem BenevolentiaeTestem Benevolentiae
Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae is the name for an apostolic letter of Pope Leo XIII. The letter was addressed to "Our Beloved Son, James Gibbons, Cardinal Priest of the Title Sancta Maria, Beyond the Tiber, Archbishop of Baltimore", and was promulgated on January 22, 1899...
. It claims to have been one of the first newspapers to decry Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
ascendancy as antichristian, and opposed Russia's participation in the Allied response as an "unholy alliance". The Wanderer was also noticed by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in these efforts, as a repudiation of the paper's stance was published in Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
.
Through the Vatican II years, a dispute over the Council led to Walter Matt leaving The Wanderer to his brother, Alphonse Matt, Sr. In 1967, The Remnant
The Remnant (newspaper)
The Remnant is a newspaper published twice a month in the United States of America from a traditional Catholic viewpoint. It is not affiliated with any particular group, although it is sympathetic to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Society of St. Pius X...
, was founded by Walter Matt. As The Wanderer states, "For The Wanderer, the council was not a rejection or an abandonment of tradition, but a development of that tradition, safeguarded for 2,000 years by the Holy Spirit, to better enable the Church to continue to bring the gospel to all men."
The Wanderer remains faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, including the Church's prohibition of artificial contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
and masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. This has often placed the newspaper in opposition to individuals and groups claiming to operate in line with the "spirit of Vatican II." For example, the paper found itself in opposition to the Call to Action
Call to Action
Call to Action is an organization that advocates for a variety of liberal causes to change the Catholic Church. Call to Action's goals include women's ordination, an end to mandatory priestly celibacy, a change in the church's teaching on a variety of sexual matters, and a change to the way the...
Program in 1976, which advocates reform regarding the Church's official teachings with respect to the position of women and homosexuals within the Church.
External links
- Website of the newspaper with indications of contents of latest issue.