India has the world’s largest number of Catholic religious—about 131,600, belonging to 399 religious orders, with 1025 major superiors. The religious communities (houses) in India number about 19,400. All this without counting the secular institutes.
In 2016, I presented a plan to the National CRI executive to start a magazine which today’s religious would find useful and appealing. I was asked to prepare a sample issue. I did. The executive loved it, and approved the idea.
To get the magazine registered with the government is a long and laborious process. I felt thrilled when the government department approved this title (Magnet) for our new magazine. It took over a year of work to get the registration completed.
Why take so much trouble to have a magazine registered?
One: An unregistered magazine is not seen as a real publication, but simply as a newsletter, or matter copied from elsewhere.
Two: We save enormously on postage. If Magnet were unregistered, the postage per issue would be Rs 7. Registered, it costs only 50 paise.
Most publications pay the writers, especially if they are competent and well known. Magnet has an excellent team of regular writers, who contribute regularly and DO IT TOTALLY FREE. This is a huge asset.
Magnet has another precious asset, often unrecognized: international consultants who give regular feedback on the magazine. They are highly qualified persons from various countries, who do this service free of charge.
Joe Mannath SDB
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