www.madonnamagazine.com.au
As the leading national magazine of spirituality and prayer, Madonna, a magazine with over 100 years of continuous publication. Madonna began life as a quarterly magazine in November 1897. In 1920 it moved to being a monthly, and now is published quarterly, with a circulation of 4,500 copies per issue and a readership of over 18,000.
The first five editors of the magazine served a total of 79 years, with the first, Michael Watson sj, taking the role for 43 of them (1897-1930). Following him were Eustace Boylan sj (1930-1948); Desmond O’Connor sj (1948-1950; John Doyle sj (1950-1952 and H. G. Wilkins sj (1952-1976).
In a popular, accessible way, Madonna offers readers a means of linking faith and life, providing readers with a way of life, ‘thinking and praying’.
Madonna readership is drawn primarily from long time subscribers, but continually builds a new readership from among parish workers, religious education coordinators, teachers, schools, catechists and others interested in exploring their faith.
Madonna is a magazine of spiritual reading for lay people. It aims to enhance the spiritual development of its readers. A primary focus of each issue of Madonna is the church’s liturgy, especially the scripture readings for each day. Through personal stories and reflections, it demonstrates the presence of God in our everyday lives. It develops knowledge and appreciation of the Christian faith through informative articles on Christian beliefs, history, spirituality and practice.
Madonna draws especially on the traditions of spirituality that are associated with St Ignatius of Loyola. The origins of Madonna are in the lay movement linked with the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, which today finds form in the Christian Life Communities.
Distribution is primarily by subscription, at a price of $58 per year.