Oregon Catholic Press
A Portland-based Catholic publisher specializing in liturgical music, worship resources, missals, hymnals, and religious education materials.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Oregon Catholic Press, commonly known as OCP, is a Portland, Oregon-based publisher serving the Roman Catholic Church. Its principal activity is the development, publication, licensing, and distribution of liturgical music and worship materials for parishes, dioceses, schools, musicians, and pastoral teams. The organization was originally established as the Catholic Truth Society of Oregon and developed into one of the best-known Catholic liturgical publishing houses in the United States. OCP's catalog includes annual and seasonal missals, hymnals, choral collections, psalm resources, songbooks, worship-planning materials, and related support products. Its publications serve congregations in several languages, including English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese. The portfolio ranges from traditional hymnody, Latin and chant-oriented repertoire, and established post-Vatican II Catholic music to contemporary songs designed for youth ministry and parish worship. OCP also represents or publishes the work of numerous Catholic composers and songwriters, including Dan Schutte, members of the St. Louis Jesuits, Bernadette Farrell, Carey Landry, Michael Joncas, Jamie Cortez, Bob Hurd, Tom Kendzia, Anne Quigley, and Christopher Walker. Through its Spirit & Song imprint, OCP publishes contemporary Christian and Catholic worship music intended for young people, parish communities, and ministries seeking a modern praise-and-worship sound within Catholic theology and ethical guidelines. The imprint includes work associated with artists such as Steve Angrisano, Casey McKinley, and Sarah Hart. Pastoral Press, an OCP division, extends the organization beyond music by publishing religious education resources as well as academic, inspirational, and other religious books. The organization has also operated in Catholic journalism. It was the long-term publisher of the Catholic Sentinel, the diocesan newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland and the longest-running Catholic newspaper in the western United States. OCP also published El Centinela, the Sentinel's Spanish-language edition. In July 2022, OCP and the Archdiocese of Portland announced that both newspapers would cease publication effective October 1, 2022, reflecting the changing economics and distribution environment for diocesan print journalism. OCP participates in the broader rights and licensing infrastructure for church music. It became a co-owner of OneLicense.net after LicenSingOnline.org merged with OneLicense.net on January 1, 2017, alongside GIA Publications. This role complements its publishing business by connecting repertoire, copyright administration, and parish use of liturgical music. OCP remains an active Catholic publishing organization with a broad product range, multilingual reach, and a mission centered on worship, music ministry, pastoral formation, and Catholic education.
History
Oregon Catholic Press traces its institutional identity to the Catholic Truth Society of Oregon, an organization established to support Catholic publishing and communication in Oregon. Over time, it evolved from a regional Catholic publisher into a specialized national supplier of worship and pastoral resources. Its Portland base remains closely associated with the Archdiocese of Portland, while its publications serve Catholic communities across the United States and multilingual parish communities. The central transformation of OCP was its concentration on liturgical music. Following the reforms and pastoral developments associated with the Second Vatican Council, Catholic parishes required new vernacular hymnals, musical settings, psalm resources, and worship-planning materials. OCP built a catalog around those needs, publishing music for congregational singing, choirs, liturgical ministers, religious education programs, and parish musicians. Its repertoire has included both traditional Catholic material and newer compositions associated with the post-conciliar renewal of Catholic worship. A significant expansion occurred in 1987, when OCP purchased North American Liturgy Resources. That acquisition brought the Glory and Praise hymnal tradition into OCP's product portfolio. Glory and Praise had originated in the 1970s and 1980s as part of the North American liturgical renewal and combined contemporary Catholic compositions with congregational worship material. OCP later issued a third edition in 2015, maintaining the line as part of its broader hymnal offering. OCP's publishing strategy has combined recurring seasonal products with durable hymnals and music collections. Breaking Bread became an annual missal available in formats with or without weekly readings, while Today's Missal served as a seasonal publication issued three times each year. Heritage Missal emphasized traditional hymns, Latin, and chant. Spanish-language and bilingual resources included Misal de Dia and Unidos en Cristo. Other products addressed specific age groups and ministry settings, including Rise Up & Sing for young children, Never Too Young for middle-school students, and Spirit & Song for youth and contemporary Catholic worship. The Spirit & Song imprint broadened OCP's reach into contemporary Christian music. Rather than simply reproducing mainstream praise-and-worship trends, the imprint positioned its repertoire as compatible with Catholic theology and parish liturgical use. OCP also developed Pastoral Press as a division focused on religious education materials and academic and inspirational books, making the organization more than a music publisher. OCP has played a role in Catholic journalism through its long-term publication of the Catholic Sentinel, the diocesan newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland. The Sentinel was recognized as the longest-running Catholic newspaper in the western United States. OCP also published El Centinela, a Spanish-language edition. On July 21, 2022, OCP and the archdiocese jointly announced that both publications would close on October 1, 2022. The decision ended an important part of OCP's print-journalism activity while leaving liturgical publishing as its core business. The organization has also participated in copyright licensing. On January 1, 2017, LicenSingOnline.org merged with OneLicense.net, with OCP and GIA Publications becoming co-owners of the resulting licensing platform. This connected OCP's publishing operations with systems used by churches to manage permissions for copyrighted worship music. OCP's current identity is therefore defined by a combination of Catholic mission, parish-oriented publishing, multilingual resources, music representation, contemporary worship development, and rights administration. Its leadership has included publisher Wade Wisler, publisher emeritus John Limb, former publisher Owen Alstott, and Archbishop Alexander Sample as chairman of the board. Precise founding and early corporate dates are not established in the supplied reference material.
- 2024
Choose Christ Missal discontinued
[1]Choose Christ Missal ended after the 2024 edition.
- 2022
Catholic Sentinel and El Centinela discontinued
[1]The two newspapers ceased publication effective October 1, following a joint announcement by OCP and the Archdiocese of Portland.
- 2017
OneLicense.net merger
[1]LicenSingOnline.org merged with OneLicense.net, with OCP and GIA Publications as co-owners.
- 2016
Wade Wisler becomes publisher
[1]Wade Wisler became OCP's publisher in April 2016.
- 2015
Glory and Praise Third Edition published
[1]OCP published the third edition of Glory and Praise.
- 2013
Alexander Sample becomes Archbishop of Portland
[1]Alexander Sample became Archbishop of Portland and is identified as chairman of OCP's board of directors.
- 1987
Acquisition of North American Liturgy Resources
[1]OCP acquired North American Liturgy Resources and incorporated the Glory and Praise hymnal tradition into its catalog.
Products and positioning
A mission-driven Catholic publishing house combining parish liturgical resources, multilingual worship publishing, contemporary Catholic music, religious education materials, and music-rights infrastructure.
Annual liturgical missal
Breaking Bread
An annual Catholic worship missal designed for parish use, available in editions with or without weekly Scripture readings. It combines liturgical texts with music and supports congregational participation throughout the liturgical year.
Seasonal liturgical missal
Today's Missal
A seasonal missal issued three times per year for Catholic parish worship. It provides changing liturgical texts and music in a format intended for regular congregational use.
Liturgical missal
Heritage Missal
An annual missal whose repertoire places greater emphasis on traditional Catholic hymns, Latin material, and chant alongside standard liturgical resources.
Spanish-language missal
Misal de Dia
The Spanish-language counterpart to Today's Missal, created for Spanish-speaking Catholic congregations and parish worship settings.
Bilingual missal
Unidos en Cristo
A bilingual Spanish-English missal containing music and liturgical readings for communities worshipping in both languages.
Hymnal · 1970
Glory and Praise
A major Catholic hymnal tradition associated with North American liturgical renewal in the 1970s and 1980s. OCP obtained the line through its 1987 acquisition of North American Liturgy Resources and published a third edition in 2015.
Catholic hymnal
JourneySongs
A hymnal combining traditional Catholic music with popular contemporary repertoire drawn from Music Issue and Spirit & Song resources.
Youth and contemporary worship music
Spirit & Song
An OCP imprint focused on youth and teen ministry and contemporary Catholic praise-and-worship music. Its repertoire is designed to provide modern musical styles while remaining consistent with Catholic theology and parish use.
Children's liturgical hymnal
Rise Up & Sing
A Scripture-based liturgical hymnal intended for young children and children's worship settings.
Middle-school religious music
Never Too Young
A collection of contemporary songs created for middle-school students, prayer gatherings, liturgy, and classroom use.
Bilingual hymnal
Flor y Canto
A bilingual hymnal intended for Catholic congregations worshipping in English and Spanish.
Vietnamese hymnal
Thánh Ca Dân Chúa
A Vietnamese-language Catholic hymnal serving Vietnamese-speaking worship communities.
Annual psalm resource
Respond & Acclaim
A subscription-based annual resource providing a responsorial psalm and Gospel acclamation for every Sunday and Holy Day. The music was written by former publisher Owen Alstott.
Liturgical missal
Choose Christ Missal
A Catholic missal line that was discontinued following its 2024 edition.
Controversies
2019
ILP and Lamb Publications file antitrust lawsuit against Oregon Catholic Press
International Liturgy Publications and Lamb Publications filed an antitrust lawsuit against Oregon Catholic Press in federal court. The plaintiffs allege that OCP engaged in anti-competitive conduct and attempted to monopolize the U.S. Catholic music publishing market; these are allegations in the lawsuit.
Brand decisions
2024
Discontinuation of Choose Christ MissalGeneration changeBackground
OCP reviewed its missal portfolio and product continuation plans.
Action taken
OCP discontinued Choose Christ Missal after the 2024 edition.
Aftermath
The product was removed from the continuing missal lineup.
2022
Closure of Catholic Sentinel and El CentinelaStrategyBackground
OCP and the Archdiocese of Portland reviewed the future of the two diocesan newspaper publications.
Action taken
They jointly announced that the Catholic Sentinel and El Centinela would discontinue publication on October 1, 2022.
Aftermath
The decision ended OCP's identified diocesan newspaper publishing activity while its liturgical and pastoral publishing operations continued.
2017
Participation in the OneLicense.net mergerM&ABackground
Catholic and church-music publishers were consolidating licensing infrastructure for copyrighted worship repertoire.
Action taken
LicenSingOnline.org merged with OneLicense.net, with OCP and GIA Publications becoming co-owners of the combined platform.
Aftermath
OCP expanded its role from publishing music to participating in the administration of permissions for church use.
1987
Acquisition of North American Liturgy ResourcesM&ABackground
OCP sought to expand and consolidate its Catholic liturgical publishing catalog.
Action taken
OCP acquired North American Liturgy Resources and integrated Glory and Praise into its product lineup.
Aftermath
The acquisition gave OCP control of a significant hymnal tradition associated with post-Vatican II Catholic worship.
Recent events
OCP acquires Corresponsables de Dios stewardship ministry[4]
Reported:
Oregon Catholic Press (OCP) announced that Corresponsables de Dios: Stewards of God (CDD), a stewardship ministry serving Hispanic/Latino Catholic communities, is becoming part of OCP's ministry, expanding OCP's formation programming.
ILP and Lamb Publications file antitrust lawsuit against Oregon Catholic Press[3]
Reported:
International Liturgy Publications and Lamb Publications filed an antitrust lawsuit against Oregon Catholic Press in federal court. The plaintiffs allege that OCP engaged in anti-competitive conduct and attempted to monopolize the U.S. Catholic music publishing market; these are allegations in the lawsuit.
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