July 1, 2009

The ACA and the communications benefit

 By John Gleason

Communication, which is getting the word out and keeping the public—in this case, the Catholics of the Denver Archdiocese—aware of what is going on locally and nationally is a job that doesn’t take a day off. 

Two of the ministries supported in part by the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal keep the flow of information going: the Colorado Catholic Conference and the Communications Office.

The Colorado Catholic Conference is the state-level, public-policy agency operated by the Archdiocese of Denver, the Diocese of Pueblo and the Diocese of Colorado Springs.  The conference informs and advises Church organizations concerning the legislative process and seeks to shape public policy which protects the sanctity and dignity of human life.  Jennifer Kraska is the executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference.

“We bring a Catholic voice to the capitol on a daily basis when they’re in session and we bring Catholic concerns to the public square,” she explained.  “I think it’s extremely important in society today that people are able to bring their beliefs and values to bear on what happens as policy is made.” 

Kraska said the conference runs a tight ship when it comes to finances. Funds from the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal are critical to help keep Catholic concerns in the public square.

“We have a daily presence at the Capitol … but we’re involved in other projects as well,” Kraska said.  “A big one last year was the Get Out the Vote Campaign, a state-wide effort to get Catholics to the voting booth in the 2008 presidential elections. 

“We also worked on the Catholic health care directive, which helps Catholics discern end-of-life care for themselves in the event they are unable to speak for themselves,” she added. “Without the ACA, the office might not have personnel to work on these projects.”

Funding is what keeps the ministry going, but Kraska said that equally important are the people that keep it active.  

“The Colorado Catholic Conference is an interactive organization,” she said.  “And in order to keep the Catholic face on things, it will take the involvement of Catholic voices from all over Colorado that come together as one.”

When one thinks of the Communications Office for the Denver Archdiocese, several media tools come to mind: the newspapers the Denver Catholic Register and El Pueblo Católico and the archdiocesan Web site: archden.org. The Communications Office coordinates public affairs among media, produces English and Spanish televised Masses, and serves as a general resource for anyone looking for information, acting as the eyes, ears and mouth of the archdiocese.
Tracy Kmetz, associate director for the office, said the department works tirelessly to keep the information flowing.

“We work hard to foster positive public relations between the Archdiocese of Denver and the surrounding community,” she said.  “The public relations office promotes, clarifies and responds to Catholic news and events at the local, national and international levels.”

The Denver Catholic Register is delivered weekly, except during the summer when it is published biweekly, to 90,000 households.  The monthly, Spanish-language El Pueblo’s circulation is 9,000 and growing. And more than 20,000 households tune in each week to view the “Televised Mass.”

“Considering that many of our viewers reside in assisted living or nursing homes, that number could be close to twice that many,” Kmetz said. 

The office also maintains the Denver Archdiocese’s Web site, archden.org, which offers a cross section of information, scheduling, news and events. 

In the Information Age, everyone wants their news now, yet the cost of keeping people informed continues to climb.  As recently as a decade ago, most people got their news from the morning paper or the evening news on television. Studies show that while the majority of people still get their news this way, digital technology has increased the desire for instant access.

“People demand it minute-by-minute,” Kmetz said, “They want graphics, on-line feeds and interactive Web sites.  And the cost to provide that is high.  To summarize, a reduction in ACA funds would seriously jeopardize the Communications Office’s ability to inform the local Catholic community of the Gospel truth.”

Forty years ago, people saw the hand-held communicators of television’s “Star Trek” series as nothing more than glorified curiosities from the world of science fiction.  Today, portable communication devices connect us with the entire world.  According to Kmetz, the Church must be at the forefront of this communications frontier.

“It’s hard for me to imagine our communications technologies getting faster than they already are,” she said, “but I have no doubt they will.”