Impregnated by many urging ideas and by a proverb that “pen is mightier than sword”, Epistoliorum was conceived and birthed, placed on a Filii cradle for nurturing where in no time it can grow into another form, assert itself, and assume its purpose in life – communicate.  

epĭs•to•liórum might strike you as unique, a jawbreaker and a real one, but behind that which saddles you from understanding is the richness of its meaning.  Epistoliorum will contain ideas, facts, essays, insights, milestones, imageries, statistics, social, technological, business and religious trends and other informative details for the consumption of its captive audience.  Epistoliorum will operate under the Filii flagship, apolitical, designed to cater to diverse moods and appeal to many discriminating levels of intellect. Epistoliorum will feed the minds of those who have been saturated with confusing, misleading and draconian dissertation.  It will ferret out the truth, dissect topic of interest and present details with fair, unbiased and impartial reporting.

Objectives:

Communicate.  Epistoliorum will become the main driver of truth touching on the many facets of life, society, belief and will elevate even the mundane of daily existence and bring inspiration and hope.  Epistoliorum will be the enabler of Filii’s principles and ideals and crystallize the meaning and significance of love, charity and sanctification in every possible means deliverable.  Epistoliorum will charge itself with conveying what’s relevant to Filii and to its readers and share the same in the light resplendent of truth and reality.

Credibility. As a purveyor of truth, Epistoliorum will morph into a proverbial “veritas et fortitudo” where at no time should it depart from this guiding principle and at all times charge itself with the responsibility of seeking and amplifying the truth fearlessly and relentlessly.  Epistoliorum will rise and distinguish itself before the backdrop of fake news proliferation and gross consumption of unverified stories.

Create Leads. Satisfied reader creates opportunity where he can participate unknowingly in the dissipation of information via Epistoliorum by sharing links to friends, office mates, acquaintances, etc. thereby increasing the reach, trajectory and influence of the publication. This dynamics may convert a reader into a paying customer for the placement of an ad or banner.

Target Demographic/Psychographic.  Epistoliorum will zero in on a range of shared audience characteristics.  It will leverage on the strength of its target demographic aged 35 and above, college graduate, male or female, single or married, working or economically stable or aiming toward some level of stability, with access to wifi, family-centric with human values and has purchasing power.

Marketing.  Hoping to reach a wider audience, Epistoliorum will become an ideal channel for announcing new products and highlighting promotions.  Bringing to the surface creative stories of achievements and milestones, Epistoliorum will drive readership as anchor of sources for reliable information. Epistoliorum will exude with integrity and work on the premise that what it communicates it can sell with confidence.

Engagement. The variety of contents and style of Epistoliorum reporting will establish interaction and connection with its readers which over time will render them loyal consumer.  Epistoliorum will attempt to stop its target demographic in their tracks and engage them with information derived from diverse geographical landscapes in the Philippines and abroad.  Epistoliorum will be friendly in its approach but authoritative in its embodiment of truth.

Develop relationship.  Epistoliorum aspires to develop relationship with its target readers by providing them with consistently wholesome, nourishing, morally ethical and truthful publication.  Epistoliorum will feed through the reader’s subconsciousness with its soothing, fun, flamboyant, unobtrusive writing style, where not only will they be entertained but they will also be informed and brought up to speed with relevant trends.

Style.  Epistoliorum will adhere to its mantra, “veritas et fortitudo.”  This will be the driving force behind every article that will come to fruition.  Epistoliorum will manifest this in form and style that befriend, soothe, engage, inform, uplift, empower, educate and inspire its readers. The reader will seek that which satisfies, consoles, relates and echoes his psyche and resonates with him.  Aesthetically, Epistoliorum seeks to reach both male and female of its target demographics therefore it should strive to incorporate and employ design elements that are neutral to both sexes.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Lydio Pedregosa for his brilliant idea in conceiving Epistolorium as our newsletter name.

Here’s how and why we made Epistolorium our collective choice:

• We polled a total of 13 names, wrote our individual unbiased opinion next to each entry, and deliberated on their merits.  It was a difficult decision but with due diligence we narrowed down 13 names and shortlisted them to 5.  Consequently, we adjudicated on their merits and made epĭs•to•liórum the overwhelming choice.
• Strong Latin words that translate as well such as “Ex Clausura” and “The Filius” were among the fierce oppositions. Other English entries like Filii Post, Filii Times, Filii News, etc. also each made a strong bid.  Our contention is to adopt a powerful word, either Latin or English, that can stand alone on its own merits and strength and project an image that will embody Filii culture, values, mission and spirituality, and build our unique brand around it.  “EPISTOLIORUM” is the closest word that fits these objectives.
• Epistoliorum evokes a wealth of history and meaning both secular and mystical. On one hand, it is a coined Latin word from compound terms Epistolae Filiorum, as explained by Fray Lydio Pedregosa, which stands for Filii’s letters, mails, missives, messages, communication, notes, news, correspondences, etc. On the other, it also translates as Epistle which represents a liturgical lection from a book of the New Testament in the form of a letter from the apostle, read in a church service.
• Epistoliorum does not require a helping word or the grammatical expletive to complete itself. It can carry its meaning by itself and can mimic behind the reach of its persona as a medium of communication.  It may be in Latin but its singular form and convention could penetrate the consciousness of the reader and can intriguingly remain there.  Its unique sounding intonation will resonate with style, elegance, and gracefulness.
• Epistoliorum untangles itself from the complexity of a multi-word name and detaches itself from the redundant use of Filii or from the aid of any grammatical expletives. Epistoliorum will grab attention, curiosity, interest, and engagement and will eventually establish a branding entity.
• Epistoliorum will form a microcosm of substance, originality, and distinction as we drive our objectives with unequivocal commitment to dissect issues and events fearlessly and relentlessly and seek to convey the truth.