A Brief History of CTS
The CTS was founded in 1868 at a time of rising literacy among the population of the British Isles. But it was a population composed overwhelmingly of poor, factory and industrial workers, not least among whom were Catholics, attracted to the booming industrial towns and the great earthworks that were to become Britain’s railway network. In such conditions, John Henry Newman’s call for a well-educated laity might seem an impossible dream.
It was against such a backdrop that a young priest, Herbert Vaughan, later to become Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, London, had the idea of printing cheap, accessible pamphlets about the Catholic faith, for mass distribution - something that the Protestant churches were doing successfully at the time.
The newly founded Society was able to publish and distribute these pamphlets only thanks to the support of donations from the Catholic public, and this remains as true today as it ever was.
The aims of the CTS were twofold: to instruct Catholics in their faith and to dissipate "popular prejudice and error" among non-Catholics. In 1872, Vaughan was appointed Bishop of Salford, and CTS activities were temporarily interrupted - but not for long, thanks to the efforts of one man: James Britten. 
A convert to Catholicism, Britten had been impressed by cheap tracts which had been published by an Anglican organisation and resolved to so the same in his new home that was the Catholic Church. Britten contacted Vaughan and it was decided to re-establish the Catholic Truth Society in 1884. Parish bookstalls were set up by an enthusiastic network of supporters and helpers, and a network of parish distributors remains to this day.
Also worthy of mention is the CTS Bookshop on the Piazza in front of Westminster Cathedral, which has remained in its location to the present day. In addition, various other Catholic Truth Societies were set up, not just in Britain and Ireland but also in places as far away as Canada and Australia. Among the first publications was the Simple Prayer Book. Since its introduction, it has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. The output of the CTS was truly massive, and pamphlets appeared covering all aspects of the Catholic faith. This is once again the case today.
Readers at this time were encouraged to evangelise by leaving pamphlets on trains and buses once they had finished with them. Many pamphlets were more apologetic in tone, though during the 1930s the emphasis moved away from responding to non-Catholics to responding to non-Christian opinion and movements such as Communism.
Modern times
This same desire to respond to the challenges of today is the motivation behind many of CTS’s current publications. Some deal with the important ethical and moral questions of our day; others respond to popular contemporary notions about Jesus, or help readers to understand other religions and how they differ from the Catholic faith.
Our service to the Church has long been recognised by the Holy See and the Vatican, particularly our service in publishing (and in the past translating) Church documents into English. In 1964, Pope Paul VI granted the title "Publishers to the Holy See" to the CTS.
The Second Vatican Council and post-conciliar period provided an opportunity for the CTS to publish the many documents relating to the renewal of the Church and her message to the world. The prodigious teaching output by John Paul II was covered by CTS over the years and made available to Catholics in the pew, and this work now continues with his successor, Benedict XVI.
Finally, we come to the present day, which has seen in recent years the CTS venturing into the new formats of CD-ROM and DVD, as well as bright new designs for our more tried and tested booklets and leaflets; into Religious Education textbooks for Catholic schools; and once again we have ventured into Bible publishing with our most attractive edition yet, the CTS New Catholic Bible. This website too will become a new platform from which the CTS will continue its 140-year-old mission into the 21st century, a new way to bring the word of God to those who will benefit from it.
