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Magnificat is well-known worldwide as one of the largest and most beloved Catholic publishers. Founded in the 1990s by French publisher Pierre-Marie Dumont, the company exists to spread the Gospel and to promote a deeper relationship with Jesus, his Blessed Mother, and his Church.
In addition to the daily prayer companions that subscribers receive each month, Magnificat also publishes special companions for use during particular liturgical seasons. 5 Stones handles the warehousing and fulfillment for their Advent and Lenten Companions each year.
Magnificat’s seasonal guides are printed in Europe, and the Advent Companions typically arrive at our 5 Stones warehouse between September and October. It is vital that we pack and ship all units to Catholics all over the U.S. before the start of the Advent season, a task which had never been a stretch for us—until the global freight crisis of 2021.
The COVID pandemic affected a crucial point in the supply chain—the arrival of freight in our ports. A bottleneck formed just off the coast of the United States. Magnificat’s freight containers would reach us more than two months behind schedule–leaving us with only one week to get time-sensitive products out to customers.
Orders of this magnitude usually take two and a half months to complete, an impossible task to complete in the time we had. But we knew that if God wanted it done, he would make a way! We prepared for the arrival of the shipment with the intercession of St. Jude, and our warehouse staff arranged as much as possible in advance. The moment the truck reached our door, we hit the ground running.
“The entire team at 5 Stones was very responsive to our needs, and did what was necessary in a really efficient way to handle the safe shipping of all those orders in a very short time frame. They were able to get the job done against many odds… Thanks again, you made the day for many devout readers!”
Axel d'Epinay, General Manager of Operations at Magnificat
Heaven’s grace pulled us through! We successfully unloaded, packed, and shipped 200,000 Advent Companions to their new homes in the unthinkable time frame of one week. On Sunday, November 28, 2021, Advent Companions blessed the hands of happy customers, ready to deepen their prayer lives in preparation for Christmas. In the midst of this entire ordeal, we did not fall behind on any other orders.
This experience strengthened our partnership with Magnificat. It also reaffirmed our foundational belief that those who serve Christ and his Church with fierce faith can do remarkable things!