Crusader Magazine

As a pupil in a Catholic junior school in the 1970s, one of the things I used to look forward to was the monthly arrival of Crusader magazine. This would be sold to us by our teacher for 8p a copy, and avidly read during morning break on the day it arrived.

Crusader was a publication of the Jesuits, and was aimed at junior school aged children (7 to 11 years old). It was published every month except August and September. Its 40 pocket-sized pages usually contained a crossword and other puzzles, a story from the Bible, an educational article (often science or nature related) and an article related in some way to Catholic history, perhaps about a saint or a historic church. Most of the rest of the magazine was filled with jokes, poems and stories sent in by readers (you won a prize if your was published).

Finally, there would be an article or two by the magazine’s editor, Fr. J L Raybould. This would talk in simple terms about how the reader could develop their Catholic faith, for example by attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion on a regular basis, by helping others and by praying for the Jesuit missions. Readers could join the Crusade of the Blessed Sacrament and receive a certificate stating their promise to do all these things, though I don’t remember anyone I knew joining.

I came across a handful of copies of Crusader (pictured above) in my old bedroom while clearing out my mother’s house after she died. I had forgotten all about the magazine, but reading the pages took me right back to my junior school days. The jokes were just as corny as I remembered them.

Of course, calling a magazine the Crusader might raise an eyebrow or two these days, and the ethnic stereotypes in a few of the jokes and cartoons might not pass muster in this more culturally sensitive time, but to me, the Crusader provides a fascinating snapshot into my childhood as a Catholic school pupil a half-century ago.

It has been a long time since I considered myself in any way religious, but I’d like to think that some of the moral lessons of those school days have stuck with me today.

I haven’t been able to find any mention of Crusader online, nor of Fr. Raybould, its editor and Director of the Crusade of the Blessed Sacrament. The Crusader office in Raynes Park, London, is now a doctors’ surgery. The magazine was printed by Dorling Print Group; the only mention of this that I can find online is some 1990s-era photos of the company’s building in the Merton Photographic Archive.

Given this lack of online information about the Crusader, I have taken the liberty of scanning the October 1976 edition in its entirety and posting it here in case anyone else has memories of the magazine and happens to stumble upon my blog. If you are reading this and do remember Crusader magazine, please get in touch via the comments. I would love to hear from someone else who remembers it!

In the meantime, enjoy the October 1976 Crusader!