Sacred Superheroes: What 20th Century US Catholic Children Read

Robert Orsi

American Catholics generated a thriving publishing culture for children in the 20th century that included comic book lives of the saints, cut-out books of martyrs, prayer books, advice manuals, and coloring books. These materials were distributed through the extensive Catholic parochial school system, in parishes, and as prizes in religious and academic competitions. But children did not simply “read” these materials. Children’s print culture belonged to the world of Catholic devotions: holding, touching, and reading printed materials was another way for Catholic children to engage the reality of their religious worlds. This instance of modern children’s religious print culture challenges how we understand the meaning and place of printed matter in children’s lives, and how we think of the work of religious print in culture.