“Let it be printed!” + 25% off

Yesterday was a big day for TOB Parent School! TOB Monthly was issued the imprimatur by Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, USA.

We are humbled and honored to be granted the imprimatur by our very own Archbishop whom we greatly respect. Essentially this is his stamp of approval that states that all pages of TOB Monthly are free from any doctrinal error and have his blessing to be printed and distributed widely. Imprimatur means ‘let it be printed!’

A thousand thanks to all those who helped scrutinize the content for theological accuracy. It was fun. It was hard. It was rewarding. It was an amazing endeavor that helped pass the time of covid lockdowns in a totally unexpected way!

TO CELEBRATE ENTER CODE — IMPRIMATUR25 — IN THE CHECK-OUT TO RECEIVE 25% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER!

Below is a little more about the process of earning an imprimatur. The text is abridged from a description on Catholic Straight Answers and can be found in full here.

The Church has a duty to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections, and to guarantee them the possibility of professing the true faith without error.

With this in mind, the Church will examine those works on faith and morals and pronounce whether they are free from doctrinal error.

The review process begins by submitting the manuscript to the censor deputatus, who is appointed by the bishop to make such examinations. If the censor deputatus finds no doctrinal error in the work, he grants a nihil obstat. Translated as “nothing stands in the way,” the nihil obstat indicates that the manuscript can be safely forwarded to the bishop for his review and decision.

If the bishop concurs that the work is free from doctrinal error, he grants an imprimatur. From the Latin imprimere, meaning to impress or to stamp an imprint, imprimatur translates, “let it be printed.” This is the bishop’s official declaration that the book is free from doctrinal error and has been approved for publication.

While a Catholic author can certainly publish a manuscript without seeking the bishop’s imprimatur, some works require this official approval. Books related to Sacred Scripture, theology, canon law, Church history, or moral disciplines cannot be used as textbooks in education at any level unless they are published with the approval of the competent ecclesiastical authority, or receive such approval subsequently.These official declarations state that a publication is true to the Church’s teachings on faith and morals, and free of doctrinal error. Too many souls are in jeopardy because of the erroneous literature that is promoted as genuinely representing the Catholic faith. In an age where publications are abundant, a good Catholic must be on guard and look for the imprimatur before buying.