Parishes launch common publication

The College of Archpriests has published the first issue of Flimkien, a new Catholic monthly magazine in Maltese which will be distributed free of charge in 44 out of the 68 parishes.

"The magazine's content and its appearance have been designed in a way that makes the message of the Church appealing to people of all ages," Fr Anton Portelli told a press conference at the Curia.

Most parishes have been publishing their own periodicals for a number of years. In the light of "a call for communion" expressed in the Diocesan Synod, however, the archpriests decided to have a common publication that would be the result of a concerted effort.

Fr Portelli explained that each parish would have the possibility to publish its own pullout in the magazine which will be distributed to all households.

Published by Media Centre, Flimkien (Together) is edited by Carmel Conti and an editorial board with representatives from different parishes. It contains a number of contributions from priests and lay people and covers varied themes - social issues dealt with from a Christian perspective, environmental issues, stories, articles on tradition and even liturgy.

The magazine also contains a number of adverts which, Fr Portelli explained, helped to cover publication costs. In addition, each parish will pay 2c for every copy distributed to its families.

He said the editorial board consulted the publishers of Famiglia Cristiana, the popular Italian Christian magazine that had made a name for itself throughout the years, reaching a circulation of 800,000 copies.

A total of 85,000 copies of Flimkien will be circulated.