“Missionary Message for the Modern World” is the theme of this year’s Australian Catholic Communications Congress from 28 to 30 August in Sydney.
The conference, sponsored by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Australian Catholic Media Council and the Australasian Catholic Press Association, aims to address the evolving challenges and opportunities in sharing the Gospel in today’s world.
Gaining valuable insights into modern missionary communication, the Congress is pitched as an excellent opportunity for networking, skill building and learning.
Anyone communicating God’s message of hope, faith and love across Catholic media and communications channels is welcome to attend the Congress.
Although a complete schedule is not yet available, organisers have published information about some of the opportunities the Congress will offer.
These include presentations and workshops on digital evangelisation, artificial intelligence, social media, videography, photography, advertising, book publishing, web design, strategic communications and spiritual conversation.
Sister Rose Pacatte, the congress keynote speaker, is a Daughters of St Paul member and the founding Director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles.
Pacatte is an award-winning film journalist and author or co-author of 15 titles on film, film and scripture, and on media literacy education. She has a Master of Education degree in media studies from the University of London.
Pacatte says she will speak about “Breaking the Silence: The Power and Pitfalls of Catholic Communication in the Digital Landscape”.
In this, she will explore the transformative potential and challenges of Catholic communications in the digital era, She will draw on insights from Catholic social teaching and from Pope Francis..
She will also discuss strategies for fostering authentic dialogue, navigating online pitfalls and building bridges in the digital landscape.
Later, during the Congress, Pacatte will run a workshop called “Catholic Creatives Unleashed: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Renaissance” where she will examine the intersection of Catholic creativity and digital communication.
This will involve exploring the role of art and vocation, and discerning practical strategies for Catholic communicators, journalists and creatives in the continually developing digital world.
The Congress sessions will be held at the Miller Hotel in North Sydney. An official dinner will be staged at the Kirribilli Club and addressed by Peter Greste, a former foreign correspondent and journalism educator.
Greste worked for Reuters, CNN, the BBC and Al Jazeera predominantly in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.
Source