Correspondence, manuscripts submitted for publication, and miscellaneous financial records relating to OSV. After Noll became bishop of the Fort Wayne Diocese in 1925 he directed the activities of the OSV staff by correspondence from his nearby chancery office in Fort Wayne. Most of this series consists of Noll's letters to members of the OSV staff, including editors R.E. Kelly, A. Knopf, and Francis Fink; business manager Joseph W. Mehring; advertising director Ralph Gibler; and freelance writers Leo R. Reardon and Robert R. Hull. The correspondence for the period 1914 to 1935 (the bulk from 1926 to 1935) is arranged as a chronological file; after 1935 there are separate folders for individual staff members. All facets of the OSV operation are covered in the correspondence, including editorial content, articles to be published, printing and distribution, personnel, and advertising and other financial concerns. Almost all of the correspondence is Noll's copies of letters he sent.
In addition to the correspondence files, this series also contains manuscripts submitted to OSV, circa 1945-1950, along with the accompanying correspondence with the contributors. It is often difficult to tell if manuscripts were submitted to OSV or one of Noll's other publications, such as Family Digest. Copies of pamphlets published by OSV in two series titled "Plain Talks with Your Pastor" and "Christ" are also included.
The OSV financial records in this series are incomplete; they include contracts and correspondence with Fort Wayne Printing Company, and records relating to retirement and insurance plans.
The chronological file, 1914-1935, also includes a small number of letters that Noll wrote on other topics, most notably affairs of the Fort Wayne diocese and Catholic apologetic. Diocesan subjects discussed include the financial transactions between OSV and the diocese during the depression and the management of a farm owned by the diocese.
Manuscripts submitted for publication, correspondence with contributors, and clippings from the publication. Some of the manuscripts may have been intended for publication in OSV.
Noll's correspondence with editors Michael A. Chapman, Joseph Gustafson, S.S., and Richard Ginder (Noll's biographer); John Cronin, S.S., of the National Catholic Welfare Council; and A. Knoff. Subjects covered include editorial content of The Acolyte and The Priest (publications intended for the Catholic clergy), articles to be published, personnel, and distribution of the publication.
As Episcopal chairman of Lay Organizations for the National Catholic Welfare Council, Noll directed the work of the National Council of Catholic Men (NCCM). One of the Council's activities was the production of radio broadcasts, first over the NBC radio network and later over the ABC and Mutual networks. The first of these programs, which was broadcast over NBC in 1929, was "The Catholic Hour" which soon became closely identified with its main speaker Fulton J. Sheen. In 1943 "The Hour of Faith," featuring Noll as the speaker, began broadcasting over ABC. In September of 1945 the Mutual Broadcasting System began to air "The Spiritual Clinic" as the Catholic component of the "Faith in Our Time" series, which also featured Jewish and Protestant programs. Noll was also the main speaker for "The Spiritual Clinic," which was affiliated with OSV.
This series includes scripts from broadcasts of all three programs; often the scripts are annotated. Authors of these scripts include L.F. Cervantes, Urban Nagle, O.P., John A. O'Brien, Fulton J. Sheen, James M. Gillis, Frank Gartland, and Rev. Ginder. Correspondence with Fulton J. Sheen, J. Hugh O'Donnell, CSC, Edward J. Heffron (executive director of the NCCM), the Mutual Broadcasting Company, WOWO Radio Station of Fort Wayne, and listeners from the radio audience.
In 1937, with the support of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Noll formed the National Organization for Decent Literature (NODL). Using The Acolyte as the official NODL publication, he began to publish lists of periodicals which he, or his appointed readers, had determined to be indecent. Local NODL chapters were formed in most diocese with instructions from Noll on how to organize the campaign and gain the cooperation of local newsstands and distributors. Publishers who wanted their magazines to be taken off the NODL list had to negotiate with Noll and later with the group's Washington representative, who directed the NODL Washington office with the cooperation of the National Council of Catholic Men.
The NODL records in the Noll papers consist of Noll's general correspondence; records of the Washington, D.C., office, the Detroit Diocesan chapter (a particularly active chapter organized under the name The League for Clean Reading), and other diocesan chapters; and subject files. The records include correspondence, lists of banned publications, reports from local chapters, newspaper clippings on the group's activities, examples of the literature being considered,and press releases, clippings, and legal papers concerning the suspension of mailing privileges for some periodicals by Postmaster General Frank Walker. Correspondents include Noll, Edward J. Heffron of the Washington office, Raymond A. Cameron of the Detroit chapter, publishers, members of the Catholic hierarchy, and local NODL organizers. Subjects discussed include revisions of the list of banned publications, the content of these publications, strategies for gaining the cooperation of local newsstands and regional distributors, and the activities of local chapters.