St. Anthony Messenger—Articles
St. Anthony Messenger—Fiction
St. Anthony Messenger—Poetry
St. Anthony Messenger Press—Books

1. Church/Sacraments: Theology-on-Tap: Quenching a Spiritual Thirst; San Bernardino and Los Angeles: New Models of Parish Leadership; [November 2005 was our special issue on Vatican II—its articles and sidebars are online].
2. Education/Spiritual Growth:  Hope Lodge: Home Away From Home for Cancer Patients; Mayo Clinic: The Franciscan Connection; New York City: Five Years After 9/11; Flight 93 Memorial: Sacred Ground in Pennsylvania; Can We Forgive 9/11?; Are Feeding Tubes Morally Obligatory?
3. Family/Marriage: Heavenly Masterpieces by Young Artists; September 11: Finding My Son Alive; When Our Son Told Us He Was Gay.
4. Profile/Celebrity/Saints: Holy People ‘Walk the Talk’; Four Great Spanish Saints; Mother Theodore Guerin: Indiana’s Very Own Saint; Higher Ground: Finding Hope in New Orleans; After Katrina: New Beginnings; Waiting With Father Bart: Rebuilding St. Mary of the Angels Parish; Father Stan Rother: An American Martyr in Guatemala; St. Catherine of Siena: A Feisty Role for Sister Nancy Murray.
5. Scripture/Theology: The Nativity Story: The Making of the Movie; The Saint John’s Bible: Glorifying God’s Word Anew; St. Paul and Women: A Mixed Record; Jesus: What’s Fact? What’s Fiction?
6. Social Issues/Foreign: A Franciscan Voice at the UN; George and Nick Clooney: ‘Stop the Genocide in Darfur’; A Ray of Hope in Sao Paulo’s Slums; Loving God’s Children: Jesuits in East Africa.
7. Spirituality/Inspirational Stories: Baby Wanted: The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche; Mary’s Shelters: Helping Women Choose Life; C.S. Lewis and Narnia: Faith Beyond the Wardrobe.

THE BEST WAY TO KNOW WHAT WE PUBLISH IS TO READ AND STUDY SEVERAL RECENT ISSUES OF ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING, PREPARING AND SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE

1. Query in advance (e-mail preferred). If a query is accepted, the completed article should normally be submitted within two months.
2. State proposed topic, sources, authorities and your qualifications to write the article. Library research will not suffice. Fresh sources and interviews with experts or people in the field will be necessary. Reporting articles are more needed than opinion pieces. Seasonal material (Mother’s Day, Lent, Christmas, etc.) should be submitted six or more months in advance.
3. We do not publish filler material—anecdotes, jokes, thoughts to ponder. We do not publish articles in installment or serial form. We very rarely reprint materials published by another publisher.
4. We do not consider articles submitted simultaneously to other magazines. We rarely use essays or personal reminiscences. Articles about historical events or people no longer living need a current news peg.
5. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced and marked article (fact) or fiction. Place your name, address and phone number (including e-mail if you have it) on the first page. Number the pages. Address manuscripts to Pat McCloskey, O.F.M., editor, St. Anthony Messenger, 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 or e-mail as an attachment (Word format preferred) to patm@AmericanCatholic.org.
6. The preferred length for articles is 2,000-2,500 words. Generally, nothing less than 900 words will be considered.
7. Keep the vocabulary simple. Avoid jargon and highly technical language. Use short sentences and ask, “Would my grandmother understand this?” An attention-getting introduction is important! Use anecdotes, examples, quotes from real people. Make practical applications. End strongly.
8. Only hard-copy manuscripts with a self-addressed stamped envelope will be returned. We assume no responsibility for lost manuscripts, accompanying photos or slides. Keep copies or insure against loss. Protect photos against cracking.
9. Please allow up to eight weeks for return or purchase of publication rights. Most manuscripts are reviewed by six staff members. Phoning the editor for a progress report invites canceling the review process and the manuscript’s immediate return to avoid more phone calls.
10. Articles received after a positive response to a query are evaluated on a speculation basis.
11. Payment for articles and fiction is 20 cents per published word—upon acceptance and return of a signed author-publisher agreement form. We buy first worldwide serial rights to publish and republish “the work” in any and all forms or formats, including all electronic formats. Authors receive two copies of published work.
12. For articles about a one-of-a-kind event, photo support is absolutely crucial. The content of other articles (for example, the importance of forgiveness) lends itself to illustration. Our art director is part of the decision to buy an article and will indicate whether photos or illustrations will be needed.
13. If authors cannot supply photos or digital photo files, they need to be ready to supply photo leads if requested.
14. We accept photos that were shot (in order of preference) as:
    1. digital with a 4-mega pixel (or larger) camera at the highest setting for resolution,
    2. color transparencies (35mm slides or larger format), or
    3. color film negatives (enlarged as color prints).

We cannot accept:

1. photos printed on a copier (color or black and white),
2. photos printed on a laser or inkjet printer,
3. halftone reproductions (printouts from magazines, newspapers, newsletters, postcards), or
4. low-resolution photos including jpegs saved with low quality for greater compression.
15. Photos will be returned after an article is either declined or bought and printed. Photos and/or photo files can be sent with queries.
16. Payment for photos is worked out separately with the art director. Photos must be documented with any necessary releases from photographers or persons in the photos. Payment for photos is made after photos have been selected and layout designed.

St. Anthony Messenger Press
28 W. Liberty St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202