Majellan is on the move

The relocation will be tinged with some sadness as we will be leaving behind a treasure trove of history and great memories dating back to 1963 when Majellan moved from Ballarat.

The story of the Majellan began in 18th century Italy and the work of St Alphonsus Liguori and St Gerard Majella. St Alphonsus, the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer was, among other things, a spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet and lawyer. But unlike St Alphonsus who was a priest, St Gerard was a lay brother. What they had in common was a devotion to the poor.

Move forward two centuries and in the small Victorian city of Ballarat, the Redemptorist Fathers started a quarterly magazine which they named after St Gerard Majella. The magazine’s origins began as a bulletin, the League of St Gerard. The first editorial in 1949 said the Majellan was for Catholic mothers and St Gerard would be their special patron – the mother’s saint.

Production of the magazine has always been a ‘family’ affair involving Redemptorist priests and brothers and also mothers, sisters and daughters who have worked side-by-side in the office and in the mail room to keep the magazine and the publication house thriving.

Majellan has become much more in recent years and has embraced the digital era with a new app that includes all the articles from the magazine and our Sunday reflections. We also produce our own podcasts, Figuring out Families, with experts offering advice to assist families with a range of issues.

We sincerely hope the magazine and our other products will continue to bring comfort to Catholic families for many more years to come as we aim to help families be the best they can be.