May 13, 2009

Catholic media: How the ‘good news’ gets around

By Denver Catholic Register

If Jesus Christ were on earth today, how would he spread his message of salvation? Would he use television, radio, newspapers, text messages, billboards, DVDs, or would Jesus be … on the Internet?

The Catholic Communication Campaign believes Jesus would use as many means as possible, and that is why it supports projects that use the entire array of media tools available today to evangelize and promote Gospel values.

So asserts the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in materials promoting this year’s Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) collection, to be taken up the weekend of May 16-17. Established 30 years ago to respond to the national and local communications needs of the Church, the collection is unique in that proceeds are split equally between each participating diocese and the national office.

The Denver Archdiocese uses its share of the collection to support its newspapers, the 109-year-old Denver Catholic Register and the Spanish-language El Pueblo Católico; to maintain the archdiocese’s Web site, archden.org; to minister to the homebound through the “Televised Mass,” which airs Sunday mornings on KBDI Channel 12; and to hold lectures and seminars that inform and catechize the public.

On the national level, the CCC collection helps support the production of a wide range of media initiatives that are carried out by USCCB staff such as the Web site and audio/video coverage of Pope Benedict’s historic visit to the United States in April 2008. At usccb.org/ccc/ one can access video reflections on the daily Scripture readings, insightful interviews with prominent Catholics and audio podcasts of the daily readings. An Internet resource site with a wealth of information to help couples build strong marriages can be accessed at ForYourMarriage.org. Movie and television show reviews can be found at usccb.org/movies/.

Examples of how donations to the Catholic Communication Campaign connect people with the word of God include:

• 7 million unique visitors—an average of 1.2 million visitors each month—listened to the New American Bible daily readings from January through June in 2008 at usccb.org.

• The Holy Father’s U.S. visit inspired 602,000 unique visitors to explore uspapalvisit.org from the site’s launch through May 1, 2008.

• Audio programs such as “Lino at Large,” “Tu Compañero Católico” and “Radio Soliel” in Haiti reach hundreds of thousands of listeners literally around the world, in multiple languages.

• Sister Survivors: Religious Life under Eastern European Communism, a documentary being produced by the Sisters of St. Joseph, will honor the women religious who endured persecution and difficulties under communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

For World Communications Day 2009, observed May 24, Pope Benedict XVI chose the theme: “New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.” The theme is a reminder to media professionals of the responsibility they have to use new technology for the common good.

“In the early life of the Church, the great Apostles and their disciples brought the ‘good news’ of Jesus to the Greek and Roman world,” the pontiff notes. “Just as, at that time, a fruitful evangelization required that careful attention be given to understanding the culture and customs of those pagan peoples so that the truth of the Gospel would touch their hearts and minds, so also today, the proclamation of Christ in the world of new technologies requires a profound knowledge of this world if the technologies are to serve our mission adequately.”

Catholic Communication Campaign Collection weekend, parishioners will be asked to reflect about the role of communications in their faith lives and the benefits of having Catholic-produced resources for television, radio, print and the Internet, and to continue to help spread the ‘good news’ through the media. The Communications Office of the Denver Archdiocese asks that the faithful continue to be generous in their support of the CCC collection. It really is “How the ‘good news’ gets around” in the archdiocese and across the world.

ARCHDIOCESE ON NEW MEDIA

Check out the Denver Archdiocese’s new media tools:

• “Friend” us on Facebook at facebook.com, Profile: Catholic Archdiocese of Denver

• “Become a Friend” of Archbishop Chaput at face book.com, Celebrity Profile: Archbishop Charles J. Chaput

• “Subscribe” to our YouTube account at youtube.com/archdioceseofdenver

• Podcasts & RSS feeds: Listen to Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Conley’s homilies at archden.org