From network communities to human community
-Godfrey Abage
Port Moresby:
The Social Communications Seminar for Media (SOCOM) coordinators of the dioceses commenced their program at the Catholic Bishops Conference, Waigani, on 11th February, 2019.
It will conclude on the 15th of February, 2019. The theme of the Seminar is: ‘From social network communities to a human community’.
The seminar brought together 15 participants from different dioceses of Papua New Guinea. The dioceses of Mendi, Rabaul, Vanimo, Mt Hagen, Kimbe and Kaviang were represented. Volunteers of Radio Maria also formed part of the programs.
The seminar opened up with a study discussion on the message of the Holy Father for World Communications Day, to be celebrated on Ascension Sunday, 2nd June, 2019. The Holy Father stressed the need for human interaction and the control on the use of social media. Social media must entail positive human affection. The call for unification and interaction should lead individuals to holiness in our world today. Each diocese, despite its specific issues needs to put the theme for this year 2019, ‘Lay people are called to Holiness in today’s world,’ into practice.
A session on print media by CBC media personnel, Abigail Seta, gave the participants the format for writing news items for their newsletters as well as articles for the Catholic Reporter.
“The session has given me guidelines to write articles for the newsletter of the archdiocese”, said Fr Peter Kopil, a participant from the Archdiocese of Mt. Hagen.
The process of bringing out a single issue of a paper involves the coordination and the networking of several persons. This truth was reinforced as the participants visited the ‘The National’ to get an understanding of what is involved.
‘Listen, reflect and share’ was the encouragement of Fr Ambrose Pereira who animated the program, together with other social communications personnel.