By Matthew Gambino • Posted July 30, 2013

My Aunt Frannie lives much of the year in Florida, where she happily received Phaith magazine. So when I saw her in Norristown this August – as I do every year when we participate in an Italian festival honoring la Madonna del Soccorso di Sciacca (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) – she positively beamed about how she loved the magazine and its bright stories of people living their faith.

Then, I had to break her heart with a message that there would be no more Phaith magazine in print. I told her that the print edition would be no more. Her eyes dropped and that warm smile cooled, even as she was glad to know those enjoyable stories would continue online at PhaithMagazine.com, which you are now reading.

That’s the way it’s been all summer. People told me how much they loved the magazine. Some folks were glad that they’ll be able to read it on their iPad or Android phone. Other folks knew that unless someone printed the articles from the web site, they would miss the little magazine they’d come to love.

The financial difficulties of the Archdiocese mean we can’t bring Phaith to people’s homes on paper as we used to do. But we can bring it to people in this digital format that costs very little to produce. As we do, we’ll rely on our friends – hopefully you’re one – to share the good news with those who don’t have access to a computer.

Through Facebook, Twitter and Google + we’ll send out messages about the stories we’re posting on PhaithMagazine.com. Just as we did in print, we’ll tell the inspiring stories of Catholics in the Philadelphia region who in ways unknown to most, live their faith with happiness and courage. And we’ll present the same insightful columnists on topics such as family, marriage, faith, food and culture that you came to love in the magazine.

I hope you enjoy these stories and the outstanding photography and graphics you’ve enjoyed. When we launched Phaith a year ago, it was my hope we could rekindle the spark of faith in Jesus that people hold in their hearts but for whatever reason, have ceased to practice.

I still have hope. Last week we received this message on Twitter, the popular social networking site where we send short messages, called tweets, about what we are doing to communicate the Gospel: “Grandpa Ed retweeted your Tweet.” Grandpa Ed, whoever you are, thank you for walking the path with us to the future and for forwarding CatholicPhilly.com’s free weekly email newsletter to your 1,461 followers. (Here’s how you can sign up for the newsletter.)

Thank you and everyone reading PhaithMagazine.com for helping spread the friendship with Jesus that we share as Catholics to your friends one day, one message, at a time. Remember the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.”