Since the first issues appeared in early 1974—what we affectionately called the "little magazine of Faith and Light"—the bulletin grew steadily. More pages arrived. More writing. More testimonies. Mother Annarella Pantanella had hand-drawn the original covers, writing every word herself on white paper in the standard format of the day: 22 by 33 centimeters. Then came a breakthrough: the first professionally printed cover. It was glossy orange cardstock, bearing the words "Insieme" alongside a drawing of people holding hands and the name "Faith and Light"—everything in brown ink, everything perfectly typeset. The inside pages matched in orange cardstock. For that era, it was revolutionary.
But as the print operation grew—more pages, more copies, more subscriptions, more subscribers—Mother Pantanella's charming stylized drawings remained. The printing itself, now increasingly industrial, moved from the Nazareth Institute on Via Cola di Rienzo to the parish offices of nearby San Gioacchino in Piazza dei Quiriti, still in the Prati neighborhood.
Father Danilo Bissacco was the assistant pastor there. In 1973 and 1974, his parish had welcomed the first Faith and Light community at San Gioacchino. He did more than offer us space—he made available his duplicating machine, the famous Gestetner with oil-based ink printing. Better yet, he let us use something newer: a machine with a double roller system. On one side, you inserted the original page—typed out by hand, with drawings, photographs, and transfer lettering for article titles. On the other side, you fed a blank master sheet. The rollers spun rapidly, perforating sparks transferring everything onto the master, which would then go into the mimeograph. The photo quality wasn't always sharp—you could see the difference—but it was better than nothing.
Read also: The Birth of "Insieme": Faith and Light's First Bulletin
Guenda Malvezzi and I handled all this printing work. I still remember issue number 19—October, November, December 1978. We printed it all day at San Gioacchino. The date was November 4, 1978. A date that meant something to me: it was my birthday. I was turning eighteen. That day I became an adult, and Guenda, wanting to mark the moment somehow after we'd spent the whole day working, offered me a lovely cake. It was very welcome.
After that issue, the bulletin changed again. It was 1979. The cover stock became green—the lettering and drawings too. The inside pages turned white. The format shifted to the standard A4 size: 21 by 29.7 centimeters. I started drawing illustrations for various articles, and later for bigger events: the Katimavik gatherings, the pilgrimages, the camps, the prayer meetings.
But real change was coming. Our treasurer, Francesco Gammarelli (Sabina's father), became interested in a new technology and bought an offset printing machine—cutting-edge at the time, and finally all ours. Everything transformed.
A space full of life, encounter, and always "Together"
We returned to printing at the Nazareth Institute, in a mezzanine room next to the chapel. The sisters had made it available for the National Faith and Light secretariat. For several years, I had the opportunity to work there as the association's secretary. One corner held the new AB Dick offset machine. Another corner housed the secretariat offices. The largest section became a living room where we held organizational meetings with leaders, received visitors, and held evening prayer gatherings with friends and priests. It was a space brimming with life, with encounter, always together.
I remember Francesco's joy and enthusiasm when he announced the new equipment and had it brought in. Now we were truly independent. The print quality was excellent—the best available then. It could even change colors. Soon the inside pages began using two colors: green for titles, drawings, and special elements; black for the text. (It meant double work: we printed everything in black first, then changed inks and solvents, and reprinted in green, matching the colors exactly with precision.)
Francesco brought another major innovation: the ability to insert photographs. A machine transferred the original photo onto a transparent plastic plate, creating a halftone image like those in newspapers. He also purchased a "Vertical" machine—enormous, tall, with internal lamps—where printed sheets, text, and halftone photos were impressed onto plates for the offset printer. The method was complex, but it produced beautiful work that accompanied us for years.
The final issue of "Insieme," number 30, appeared in July, August, and September 1981. But the drive to share Faith and Light's spirit was too strong to stop. It continued with new energy and force through new forms. What began as news about Faith and Light life evolved into a real editorial board. We began covering topics of wider interest: experiences from other communities beyond Faith and Light, testimonies and specific subjects from parents, educators, doctors, priests, friends—all focused on the world of disability.
With issue number 1 in January, February, and March 1983, "Ombre e Luci" was born—a Christian magazine for families and friends of people with disabilities and social challenges, still directed by Mariangela Bertolini. A new story began. As the editorial board wrote in that first issue: "We hope that Ombre e Luci brings everyone a breath of wind that sweeps away the clouds, that gives us courage and strength to walk TOGETHER." A story that continues still.
— Stefano Guarino, 2020