Peter Li Inc. of Dayton was recently acquired by Bayard Inc., a Catholic media company owned by the Augustinians of the Assumption/Assumptionist. Founded in 1971, Peter Li Inc. serves the K-12 market. Its two divisions include the Peter Li Education Group, publisher of Catechist and Today’s Catholic Teacher magazines, and the Pflaum Publishing Group, publisher of Catholic religious education programs and supplemental materials. Bayard’s periodicals in North America include Catholic Digest, Living with Christ, Today's Parish, Exploring the Sunday's Readings, and children's magazines, Owl, Chirp and Chickadee. Bayard, Inc. also owns the Novalis and Twenty-Third Publications trademarks.

In acquiring Peter Li, Inc, Bayard hopes to extend its presence in the catechetical and Cathoilic school arenas in North America.

Bayard Presse, headquartered in Paris, of which Bayard Inc. is a subsidiary, is a communications group of international scope. With sales of 400 million dollars and 1500 employees around the world, it is present today in 41 countries with over 110 different publications. In the current year, Bayard will have sold over 8 million books, as well as 7.4 million magazines each month. Through these publications, Bayard regularly reaches over 30 million readers everywhere on the planet. Bayard’s unique shareholder for the past 130 years has been the Catholic congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption, also present in numerous countries, who has been, since its early years, very active in all sectors of communication (education, pilgrimages and media).