Editrice Shalom
Catholic and Marian publishing house

Roberto Mascioni's interview, sales director.

Can you briefly introduce us your company and your production?

Shalom Editrice is a Catholic and Marian publishing house whose mission is the production of religious books and articles. Our books and periodicals are all printed in Italy and are excellent value for money. The company mission that I have mentioned earlier is that to produce prayer and spiritual books that are accessible to all, both in terms of content and price, while maintaining a very high quality. The contents are beautiful, appealing and, above all, they are loyal to the Magisterium of the Church and the Holy Father in union with the College of Bishops. Our religious articles were added to the catalogue at a later stage in response to the public demand, and we currently boast over 3,000 articles ranging from statues, crosses and small paintings to our special lines of devotional jewellery and crowns.

How do you consider the current situation and the perspectives of the religious articles market, after both the pandemic and the current difficult period due to the war in Ukraine?

It certainly was, and still is, a very tough period for both our industry and many others. The market responded with a good restart, after the peak of the pandemic, but then there was the terrible Russian-Ukrainian war. The latter has driven the price of paper, and inflation, to all-time highs. Above all, I think that in these difficult times it is more necessary than ever not to stop believing and not to lose hope. With the Lord's help, Shalom will continue with all its activities at full capacity, trying to innovate every aspect of it with the aim of keeping the religious market strong and vigorous.

The third edition of "Devotio" is around the corner and its aim is that to represent a moment of restart for the entire industry. What do you expect from this exhibition?

This exhibition is an appointment and a national reference for our industry and it will represent a great opportunity for visibility. Our market needs this kind of events in order not to lose vitality. Today Editrice Shalom opens up to a new evolutionary phase, to offer a series of products to an increasingly vast public: this fair is a very important appointment.

Will you bring some novelties to “Devotio 2022”? Which ones?

Of course, we will bring several novelties. Book are our core system that is why we will present publications that can be of a particular interest to the “Devotio” audience. In particular the Bible, the cheapest and most beautiful on the market! As far as religious articles are concerned, we are excited to present our new beautiful handmade statues (from moulding to finishing) realised by expert Italian craftsmen. They are all made of Carrara marble powder and resin, painted entirely by hand. They feature meticulous detailing. We will also present the famous “devotional crowns”, which was created by us to restore dignity and importance to the rich heritage represented by devotions and forms of popular piety, even those that the hustle of our times causes the disappearance.

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