Introducing Mary Gates, pictured, the new Editor of FAITH Magazine, the official publication of the Diocese of Lansing. Founded 26 years ago, FAITH is delivered nine times a year to over 60,000 homes across the diocese.
Until becoming Editor of FAITH, Mary was a theology teacher at Lansing Catholic High School, a post she held for more than 20 years. Over the past decade, Mary has also written for various Catholic publications, including FAITH. Most importantly, Mary is married with six children. The Gates family are parishioners at Church of the Resurrection in Lansing. Here is Mary's message the readers of FAITH:
Dear Friends,
Years ago, I heard Monsignor James Shea utter a prayer before giving his testimony that itself became a testimony to me: “Jesus, just let me love you so much that I never run out of things to say about you.” The prayer came back to me when I accepted the role of editor of FAITH magazine, and again it became my own plea to the Lord. In more than 25 years of “saying things” about Jesus, FAITH magazine has not, in fact, run out of things to share about him. Rather, the more than 30 pages of each issue of the publication are not ever enough, a mere fraction of what could be printed every month. As Saint John remarks at the end of his gospel, “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) It is still so today.
This magazine, the result of decades of evangelization efforts in the Diocese of Lansing, stands on the shoulders of those who established a way for the stories of people across the diocese, moved by God’s grace, to be heard. The crux of all of the stories is the same: the Lord is at work. Yet each one is notably different. He is at work in our illnesses, in our grief, and in our healing. He is working in the joys and crosses of our vocations, as he is in our service and our willingness to be served. Jesus is in our friendships, our families, and our schools, and he is ever present in the sacraments, where he meets us with his grace, mercy, and love. Each story printed here is the story of salvation history in the present moment, for God is at work in our lives, meeting each of us where we are and drawing us to himself.
The longevity of this magazine speaks to the generosity of God, who never stops pursuing us. We haven’t run out of stories. And so, the aim of the magazine remains: to tell the story of God at work and, in doing so, to give God glory. As editor, my prayer is that the magazine is an offering of thanks to the Lord for all he has done and is doing. May we see how he is at work in our lives and tell our stories to glorify him. May we love Jesus so much that we never run out of things to say about him.
God Bless,
Mary Gates
Editor, FAITH Magazine
