What started 25 years ago as a venture to produce a single publication in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, is now celebrating its silver anniversary. FAITH Catholic has successfully worked to fulfill its mission of connecting people with Jesus and his Church for 25 years, which President and CEO Kayla Simon sees as “an abundance of God’s grace working in and through us and the dioceses and organizations we serve.”

FAITH in Lansing was launched at the behest of Bishop Emeritus Carl Mengeling, who assigned the late Father Charles Irvin the job of creating a new publication for the diocese. In a 2009 interview, Father Charlie recalled how the initiative came to fruition. “Back in 1998, [Bishop Mengeling] asked me to research the idea of starting a diocesan newspaper. Immediately, it was clear to me that a newspaper was the wrong direction. Catholic newspapers — and newspapers generally — already were losing ground. On the other hand, a four-color magazine could be produced 10 times per year at half the cost — and could reach parishioners with formation, inspiration and evangelization. That’s a very different mission from a newspaper!”

With the Bishop’s blessing, and after two years of research and development, FAITH Lansing began mailing to every registered parishioner household in January 2000.

“The magazine represented a completely new way for dioceses to communicate about our Catholic faith,” Simon says. “Instead of starting from a news-first perspective, FAITH demonstrated an evangelization-first philosophy. Its central premise was that the most effective way to reach people’s hearts and help them encounter Christ was through stories of Christian witness, featuring regular Catholics in the pew. This is the philosophy we started with, and it’s still the driving force behind our most successful publications.”

In retrospect, that philosophy reflected a disruptive force in the Catholic press. Only three years after launching the flagship magazine, the FAITH team helped the Diocese of Laredo, Texas, produce its own custom publication, La Fe. Two years later, three more dioceses would sign on to create unique magazines for their parishioners. By the end of its first 10 years, FAITH Publishing and Communications would produce 16 custom magazines for dioceses and Catholic organizations.

In 2009, FAITH merged with Liturgical Commission Publishings, the Diocese of Lansing’s longtime publisher of liturgy resources, forming FAITH Catholic. “The Diocese of Lansing was unique in that it already had a hugely successful, independent publishing company that offered subscription services for homilies and universal prayer and commentary. It only made sense to combine the two services into one thriving venture whose mission was to serve the wider Church,” Simon says. “Today, we publish more than 50 diocesan magazines plus more than a dozen for Catholic organizations, and our liturgy resources reach thousands of priests, deacons, and parishes every week. We’re the largest publisher of Catholic magazines in the country,” she says. “And we still publish for our earliest clients like the Diocese of Laredo!”

In addition to periodicals, the company also provides digital publishing services, and offers integrated marketing consulting to Catholic entities across the nation. Daily Homilies, Daily Universal Prayer and Commentary, and other subscriptions and products for parishes reach hundreds of thousands of parishioners every year. FAITH Catholic also hosts and operates Masstimes.org, one of the world’s most powerful tools for travelers to locate a church and find Mass near them.

Looking ahead, Simon sees a long and healthy future for the company because its strategic priorities always adapt and respond to the needs of the Church. “We’re in a constant state of evaluating how we can help dioceses and Catholic organizations evangelize more effectively and provide the services that will help fulfill the Great Commission.