The 2024 National Catholic Media Conference brought together communicators from the Catholic Church in India who sought to accompany the digital transformation of the Church to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Sister Prashanti Mandapati, SCN
Bengaluru, Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (Vatican News): The Catholic Church in India has taken a historic step by bringing together Catholic communicants from all over India. The Church seeks to harness the potential of digital technology to preach the gospel of Christ in a more relevant way, while recognizing the impact of digital technology on all aspects of life.
The National Catholic Media Conference was held at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore on November 23-24, 2024, in which 285 participants, priests and religious, actively participated in the sessions and activities. This theme, titled “Enlighten 2024: Fostering Digital Leadership,” was chosen to enable dedicated individuals to efficiently advance in the digital age, using technological tools to enhance their ministries and strengthen the mission of the church.
The conference was organized by the Salesian Unit of Social Communication of Don Bosco and the Salesian Corps of Social Communication of South Asia (BOSCOM) in collaboration with the Dicastery for Social Communication of the Vatican, the Dicastery for Social Communication of the Episcopal Conference of India (CBCI), the Bishops’ Conference of India (CCBI), the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (ASCI) and the Indian Catholic Congregations.
An event was held to felicitate a panel of dignitaries at the opening session of the conference. Among those honored were Dr. Pavlo Ruffini, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications, and Dr. Natasha Govekar, Director of the Theological-Apostolic Division of the Dicastery for Communications. Dr. Ruffini and Dr. Govekar are deeply grateful for their support and guidance, which strengthens the mission of the Catholic Church in India.
The conference officially opened with a call to action, urging participants to embrace digital leadership and meet the opportunities and challenges of the digital age with confidence, innovation and responsibility. The opening session set the tone for the event, with an emphasis on collaboration and visionary leadership in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Bridge between faith and technology
Many experts from different digital fields illuminated the conference with presentations on a variety of topics, such as: Understanding the digital landscape: opportunities and challenges for priests and religious; Masterful vision and guidelines towards our digital ministry; Promote digital awareness and ethical choices; Social networks and the mission of consecrated life; Towards digital well-being and resilience; Our mission is to take care of Alfa Zen; and ministry and digital outreach.
The conference inspired participants to communicate truth authentically and develop digital awareness. They were called to emulate the supreme communicator, Jesus Christ.
Practical skills workshops.
Beyond the main sessions, participants took part in a diverse series of workshops, each providing practical experience and deeper insights.
Workshops included: branding of self and organization; Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the Ministry; Social Networks for the Digital Ministry; Social media marketing and e-commerce; Smartphone Discipleship; ABC of websites; Apps and live streaming. These workshops provided practical skills and knowledge to use modern technology to spread the gospel of Christ.
Participants broke into groups to discuss the challenges and solutions posed by artificial intelligence and its growing impact on life and mission, as well as proactive actions to promote digital well-being in the workplace and places of worship.
The communication of Christ in the 21st century
Many priests presented inspiring stories about their successful communication initiatives to reach believers through various media platforms such as television networks, magazines and other digital media.
Dr. Pavlo Ruffini and Dr. Govekar provided participants with a better understanding of the work and mission of the Department of Communications.
She also shared her stated mission to empower women communicators around the world.
Speaking after the conference, Dr Govekar said: “It was a pleasure to participate in this conference with priests and religious from all over India. I learned about their hopes and challenges in digital communication. Staying connected to local communities is essential to our work. the Department of Communications.”
connect, collaborate, communicate
Father José Kutty Thomas SDB, co-founder of Bible On, said: “I am grateful for the opportunity to meet several people working in the media sector. I had the privilege of interacting with the Communications Department and the Secretary of CBCI, who helped me. It helped me understand the importance of the Church. “It helped to better understand the point of view and approach to communication.”
The two-day national Catholic media conference sought to increase trust to better incorporate technology with religious outreach while preserving genuine spiritual communication between participants.
Most importantly, he sought ways to link the efforts of the Indian Church with the vision of the world Church.
The program not only provided practical skills but also created a greater awareness of how modern technology can serve the eternal mission of proclaiming the Gospel, bridging the gap between Catholicism and modern media.
