RCL Benziger
RCL Benziger is a Catholic publishing house with roots in an eighteenth-century Swiss religious publishing business and a present-day focus on Catholic educational and devotional materials.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
RCL Benziger is a Catholic publishing house whose history traces to 1792, when Joseph Charles Benziger established a religious publishing business in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. The company developed from a family-operated printer and bookseller into a major Catholic publishing and production enterprise serving religious, educational, devotional, and juvenile markets. Its history includes both a Swiss publishing operation and a separately developed American business that became the basis of the modern RCL Benziger organization. The Benziger family expanded the original business during the nineteenth century. In 1833, Joseph Charles Benziger's sons Charles and Nicholas took over and operated under the name Charles and Nicholas Benziger Brothers. Charles concentrated on the literary and editorial side, while Nicholas directed technical and manufacturing development. Their innovations included improved bookbinding systems, the adoption of a power press in 1844, stereotyping in 1846, steel and copper printing in 1856, and electrotyping in 1858. The firm also produced religious pictures, initially lithographed and hand-colored, before adopting chromolithographic methods. Benziger's publishing program broadened substantially in the nineteenth century. It issued the Einsiedler Kalender from 1840, published the Catholic periodical The Pilgrim, and later developed illustrated Catholic family books, schoolbooks, prayer books, theological works, devotional literature, and juvenile publications. The company also produced a Bible history in twelve languages. In 1867 it began Alte und Neue Welt, described in the historical record as a large illustrated popular Catholic German magazine. The Holy See granted the firm the designation Printers to the Holy Apostolic See in 1867. The American business became especially important. Benziger established a New York office in 1853, opened offices in Cincinnati in 1860 and Chicago in 1887, and built an English-language catalog covering Catholic devotional, educational, theological, and children's literature. It also manufactured liturgical supplies. Although connected historically to the Swiss house, the American operation became independent of it. In 1968 the American business was acquired by Crowell-Collier Macmillan, later associated with Macmillan, and its headquarters moved to California the following year. In 1971 it was combined with Bruce Publishing, P. J. Kenedy & Sons, and Glencoe Press in a broader publishing reorganization. The Benziger name and product line were later acquired from McGraw-Hill by CFM Publishing in July 2007. CFM combined the business with RCL, a Texas Catholic publisher founded in 1964 by Richard C. Leach, creating RCL Benziger. The combined company returned its headquarters to Cincinnati, a city where Benziger had maintained an office since the nineteenth century. In 2016, RCL Benziger was sold to Kendall Hunt Publishing, under which it operates as a Catholic publishing imprint and business. The separate Swiss Benziger operation followed a different trajectory. At its late-nineteenth-century height, it published in approximately twenty languages and employed more than 1,000 people in Switzerland. It opened locations in Cologne and Strasbourg and maintained other retail and distribution activities. World War I disrupted its sales territories, while the rise of National Socialism adversely affected its traditionally Catholic publishing program. The Swiss publishing house was sold to the Rheinpfalz Group in 1986, and its children's division was acquired by Arena Publishing. Patmos Publishing took over the Swiss publishing operation in 1994, and publishing under the Benziger name ended there in 2003. These European developments are part of the broader Benziger historical lineage but should not be conflated with the current American RCL Benziger organization.
History
Benziger's origins lie in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, where Joseph Charles Benziger founded a Catholic religious publishing business in 1792. The location was associated with religious pilgrimage and provided a natural base for the production and distribution of Catholic books, images, and related materials. In 1833, Charles and Nicholas Benziger succeeded their father and adopted the name Charles and Nicholas Benziger Brothers. The brothers divided responsibilities in a way that helped transform the family enterprise. Charles Benziger, who had a strong classical education, focused particularly on editorial and literary work. Nicholas Benziger directed the technical side and introduced manufacturing practices associated with larger European and American commercial centers. In 1835, the company expanded beyond books by lithographing religious pictures and coloring them by hand. The first volume of the Einsiedler Kalender appeared in 1840, and the periodical The Pilgrim was established around the same period, although the latter survived for only about a decade. Nicholas's technical program was unusually important for a nineteenth-century religious publisher. The company replaced its old hand press with a power press in 1844, adopted stereotyping in 1846, introduced steel and copper printing in 1856, and used electrotyping from 1858. Bookbinding, formerly carried out within the family, was systematized. After Charles and Nicholas retired in 1860, their sons continued the enterprise and expanded its use of chromolithography and other modern printing processes. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Benziger developed a wide Catholic publishing list. It issued illustrated family books, schoolbooks, prayer books, theological works, devotional literature, and juvenile titles. One Bible history was produced in twelve languages. The firm launched Alte und Neue Welt in 1867 as a large illustrated German-language Catholic magazine and received the designation Printers to the Holy Apostolic See from the Holy See in the same year. By the 1890s, the Swiss operation published books and magazines in about twenty languages and employed more than 1,000 people in Switzerland, making it one of the country's substantial companies of the period. The American business developed alongside the Swiss operation. Benziger opened a New York office in 1853, began more substantial publishing activity in the United States in 1860, opened a Cincinnati office that year, and added a Chicago office in 1887. Its American catalog emphasized English-language Catholic books across devotional, educational, theological, and juvenile categories. The American business also operated as a manufacturer of liturgical supplies. Despite its historical connection to the Swiss house, the American operation became independent. The Swiss and American businesses experienced different twentieth-century histories. The First World War severed the Swiss company from important sales territories, and the Benziger family eventually withdrew from active publishing. The rise of National Socialism further weakened the Swiss operation's traditionally Catholic program. After World War II, the Swiss list was supplemented with children's and young-adult books. In 1986 the Swiss publishing house was sold to the Rheinpfalz Group, while its children's division went to Arena Publishing. Patmos Publishing took over the Swiss operation in 1994, and publishing under the Benziger name ended in 2003. Related distribution and bookstore activities continued or changed ownership separately, but they should not be treated as identical to the current RCL Benziger publishing business. The American operation underwent a sequence of corporate changes. Crowell-Collier Macmillan acquired it in 1968, and its headquarters moved to California in 1969. In 1971 it was merged with Bruce Publishing, P. J. Kenedy & Sons, and Glencoe Press. After Macmillan's educational division was acquired by McGraw-Hill, CFM Publishing purchased the Benziger name and product line in July 2007. CFM then merged the business with RCL, a Texas-based Catholic publisher founded in 1964 by Richard C. Leach. The resulting company was named RCL Benziger and headquartered in Cincinnati. Kendall Hunt Publishing acquired RCL Benziger in 2016. The modern entity therefore represents the continuation of the American Catholic publishing line under Kendall Hunt ownership, while the broader Benziger name also refers historically to the separate Swiss operation.
- 2016
Acquired by Kendall Hunt Publishing
[1]RCL Benziger became part of Kendall Hunt Publishing.
- 2007
RCL Benziger formed
[1]CFM Publishing acquired the Benziger name and product line from McGraw-Hill and combined it with RCL.
- 1971
Publishing-company merger
[1]Benziger was merged with Bruce Publishing, P. J. Kenedy & Sons, and Glencoe Press.
- 1968
American operation acquired by Crowell-Collier Macmillan
[1]The United States Benziger business entered the Crowell-Collier Macmillan corporate group.
- 1887
Chicago office opened
[1]The American operation expanded its presence with an office in Chicago.
- 1867
Printers to the Holy Apostolic See designation received
[1]The Holy See conferred the title Printers to the Holy Apostolic See on the firm.
- 1860
American publishing expansion begins
[1]J. N. Adelrich Benziger and Louis Benziger took charge of the American business, and a Cincinnati office was opened.
- 1853
New York office opened
[1]Benziger established an office in New York, laying groundwork for its American business.
- 1844
Power press adopted
[1]The old hand press was replaced with the company's first power press.
- 1840
First Einsiedler Kalender published
[1]The company produced the first volume of the Einsiedler Kalender, an early example of its periodical and almanac publishing.
Products and positioning
A Catholic specialist publisher combining religious education, devotional publishing, theological content, and children's literature, with a heritage extending from a Swiss Catholic printing house founded in 1792 to a contemporary United States business owned by Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Religious publishing · 1792
Catholic religious books
Books addressing Catholic belief, practice, theology, and devotional life formed the core of Benziger's historical publishing program. The catalog included works for general readers as well as specialized religious audiences, reflecting the company's long-standing role as a Catholic publishing house.
Educational publishing
Catholic educational materials
Benziger published Catholic schoolbooks and religious-education materials, including instructional works intended for Catholic schools, families, and parish settings. Educational publishing became one of the principal areas of the American catalog.
Devotional publishing
Devotional and prayer books
Prayer books and other devotional titles were important products of both the historical Swiss firm and the American business. These publications served personal worship, family practice, and Catholic religious institutions.
Children's publishing
Juvenile and children's books
Benziger developed illustrated family, juvenile, children's, and later young-adult publishing. The Swiss operation expanded this area after World War II, while the American business maintained children's literature as part of its broader Catholic catalog.
Periodical publishing · 1840
Religious periodicals
The company produced Catholic periodicals including The Pilgrim and Alte und Neue Welt, as well as the Einsiedler Kalender. These publications extended Benziger's reach beyond books into recurring religious and family-oriented reading.
Religious goods
Liturgical supplies
The American Benziger business operated not only as a publisher but also as a manufacturer of liturgical supplies. This activity complemented its book catalog and connected the company to Catholic churches and religious institutions.
Brand decisions
2016
Join Kendall Hunt PublishingM&ABackground
RCL Benziger was operating as a Catholic publishing business following the 2007 combination of the Benziger and RCL lines.
Action taken
Kendall Hunt Publishing acquired RCL Benziger.
Aftermath
RCL Benziger continued as part of Kendall Hunt Publishing's publishing portfolio.
2007
Combine the Benziger product line with RCLM&ABackground
After the Benziger name and product line were acquired from McGraw-Hill, CFM Publishing also controlled RCL, a Catholic publisher founded in Texas in 1964.
Action taken
CFM Publishing merged the Benziger business with RCL and established the combined RCL Benziger organization.
Aftermath
The transaction created the modern RCL Benziger identity and returned the headquarters to Cincinnati.
1986
Swiss publishing house sold to the Rheinpfalz GroupM&ABackground
The Swiss Benziger operation had experienced long-term disruption from war, changing sales territories, and declining business conditions.
Action taken
The Swiss publishing house was sold to the Rheinpfalz Group, while its children's division was acquired separately by Arena Publishing.
Aftermath
The Swiss operation continued under new ownership before later being taken over by Patmos Publishing in 1994; publishing under the Benziger name ended in Switzerland in 2003.
Recent events
- 2016
RCL Benziger sold to Kendall Hunt Publishing[1]
M&A
Kendall Hunt Publishing acquired RCL Benziger, which continued as a Catholic publishing business within the Kendall Hunt organization.
- 2007
CFM Publishing acquired the Benziger name and product line[1]
M&A
CFM Publishing purchased the Benziger name and product line from McGraw-Hill and combined the business with RCL to create RCL Benziger.
- 2003
Swiss publishing activities under the Benziger name discontinued[1]
Other
Publishing activities under the Benziger name in Switzerland were discontinued after the operation had passed through several owners and business restructurings.
- 1971
Benziger combined with Bruce Publishing, P. J. Kenedy & Sons, and Glencoe Press[1]
M&A
The American Benziger operation was merged with three other publishing companies in a broader corporate consolidation.
- 1969
American headquarters moved to California[1]
Other
Following the acquisition by Crowell-Collier Macmillan, the American business moved its headquarters to California.
- 1968
American Benziger business acquired by Crowell-Collier Macmillan[1]
M&A
The American Benziger business was acquired by Crowell-Collier Macmillan, beginning a new phase of corporate ownership for the United States operation.
Sources2 sources
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