Ave Maria Press
Erin Pierce has extensive experience in public relations and education, currently serving as a Publicist and Strategic Partnerships Manager at Ave Maria Press since June 2017, with prior roles including Ministry Resources and Special Initiatives Manager and Parish and Curriculum Marketing Specialist. Erin's background includes working as a Wellness Coach at Weight Watchers Inc. from June 2009 to March 2023, facilitating meetings focused on healthy living. Additionally, Erin worked as an Educator at Marian High School from August 1993 to June 2017, where multiple classrooms were managed and interactive lessons were developed for diverse student groups. Erin holds a Master's degree in Theology/Theological Studies from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor's degree in Religion/Religious Studies from The Florida State University.
Ave Maria Press
Ave Maria Press has been in continuous business since 1865, when the visionary Holy Cross priest Edward Sorin, who had founded the University of Notre Dame twenty-three years earlier, started the Ave Maria magazine. Father Sorin’s goal was to produce a magazine honoring Mary, focusing on Catholic families, and showcasing the best American Catholic writing. Despite discouragement from naysayers who didn't believe it could be done, Sorin launched his magazine. In a daring move for his era, he soon turned the reins over to a woman, Sister Angela Gilespie, a nurse veteran of the Civil War. The Ave Maria grew quickly, and by the turn of the twentieth century, it was the most popular English-language Catholic magazine in the world. During the 105-year run of the Ave Maria, the Press also published books and pamphlets, a program it began to develop more fully in the 1960s. When declining circulation forced the magazine to cease publication in 1970, book publishing was pushed into high gear. Over the years, Ave Maria Press has published such important Catholic authors as Joseph Champlin, Tom Corcoran, Thomas Green, Edward Hays, Lisa Hendey, Francis MacNutt, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Christine Valters Paintner, Michael Pennock, Joyce Rupp, Mother Teresa, Michael White, Robert Wicks, and Macrina Wiederkehr. Now established as a major Catholic book publisher and still under the ownership of the United States Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Ave Maria Press is home to Sorin Books, Forest of Peace, Christian Classics, and Spiritual Book Associates, a book club. It perpetuates Fr. Sorin's vision to honor Mary and provides an important outlet for good Catholic writing. Ave Maria is also recognized as a leader in publishing Catholic high school religion textbooks, parish resources, and books on prayer and spirituality.