William Sadlier Dinger, president emeritus of New York City-based publisher William H. Sadlier Inc., died Nov. 11 at his home. He was 77.

He and his brother, Frank Sadlier Dinger, who served as company chairman, shared a deep Catholic faith and worked for more than 50 years to develop materials that Catholic educators and catechists used in their vital work of teaching and handing on the faith to young people.

He received numerous professional awards and honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers in 2014.

He also was active in collaborative efforts in New York City, having arranged for disabled children from the Manhattan Occupational Training Center to work in the company’s office. The company also has worked with the Cristo Rey New York High School work-study program.

Dinger was a member of the Knights of Malta, volunteering as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

In 2013, officials from the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family sought his assistance in publishing in English Pope Francis’ teachings on the family, which later served as foundational documents for the 2014 Synod of Bishops on the family.

He is survived by his wife, Maureen, sons William Sadlier Dinger Jr. and Michael Sadlier Dinger and four grandchildren.

– Dennis Sadowski