A story of FAITH
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...Twenty-five years ago this month, the people of the Diocese of Lansing had just received the premiere issue of FAITH Magazine. That first issue was the result of a lot of work, prayer, trust and risk. Bishop Carl Mengeling, now our bishop emeritus, had been appointed Bishop of Lansing just three years earlier. Among the many efforts that Bishop Mengeling undertook was a comprehensive look at how the diocese was communicating the message of Jesus with its people. The Web was just in its infancy at that time, and the creation of social media was still years away. Although he was not an avid user of computer technology, Bishop Mengeling understood the great potential for evangelization that it represented. He also recognized that diocesan efforts at evangelization were in need of transformation and updating, in order to keep up with the technological growth that he saw coming.
Twenty-five years ago this month, the people of the Diocese of Lansing had just received the premiere issue of FAITH Magazine. That first issue was the result of a lot of work, prayer, trust and risk. Bishop Carl Mengeling, now our bishop emeritus, had been appointed Bishop of Lansing just three years earlier. Among the many efforts that Bishop Mengeling undertook was a comprehensive look at how the diocese was communicating the message of Jesus with its people. The Web was just in its infancy at that time, and the creation of social media was still years away. Although he was not an avid user of computer technology, Bishop Mengeling understood the great potential for evangelization that it represented. He also recognized that diocesan efforts at evangelization were in need of transformation and updating, in order to keep up with the technological growth that he saw coming.
At the same time, Bishop Mengeling also knew that the New Millennium was just a few years away, and Pope John Paul II was energetically encouraging the new evangelization—looking at new and innovative ways to share and advance the message of the gospel. In light of all this, Bishop Mengeling desired to do something special and different to welcome the new millennium and to enhance the work of evangelization within our diocese.
Bishop Mengeling engaged the late Father Charlie Irivin and a small group of others that included two young priests and a former diocesan seminarian, to examine possible ways to meet the needs which he perceived. After much discussion, Father Charlie presented Bishop Mengeling with his best recommendation: a full-color diocesan magazine designed to tell personal stories of faith, paired with Web-based efforts to share the same stories. And so, FAITH Magazine was born, along with a completely transformed diocesan website, as well a website exclusively devoted to FAITH.
The core principle of FAITH Magazine was, and continues to be, telling personal stories of faith paired with beautiful photography, presented in a full-color, beautifully designed magazine format. The work of making all of this a reality began with Bishop Mengeling’s promise of initial diocesan funding paired with the financial support of each parish in the diocese. FAITH Magazine started in July 1999 with a small staff that included a staff writer, a graphic designer, and a secretary. Our premiere issue was published at the end of December, 1999, just in time for the arrival of the new millennium.
That was 25 years ago. I was a part of the small group that Father Charlie consulted in order to make FAITH Magazine a reality. Father Charlie served as our founding editor-in-chief, and I was honored to follow in his footsteps in July 2001. Lots of other amazing things have happened in the story of FAITH Magazine in the years since, and I will share some of that over my next several columns.
For now, I say thanks to Bishop Mengeling and Father Charlie Irvin for their shared vision for a new way to share stories about God’s goodness. I’m also grateful for Bishop Boyea’s continued support of our work. After our first 25 years, I feel like we’re just getting started. And so, our journey in FAITH continues.
Father Dwight Ezop is the editor-in-chief of FAITH Magazine and pastor of St. Mary Parish, Charlotte and St. Ann Church, Bellevue.
