Day of Mass Media Apostolate Celebrated

“Holy Father has affectionately called you ‘digital generation” because it is you who mostly use the gadgets produced by the ‘digital technology”, said Fr. Antimo Gomes, Parish Priest of Immaculate Conception Church, Panjim, and President of Diocesan Society of Education, who was speaking to Sunday School 95 children from 10 parishes around Panjim.  He also added: “It is no wonder that the our Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media took this initiative of celebrating the Day of Mass Media Apostolate with quizzes and competitions involving some of the gadgets. This is not to test your expertise in the use of these instruments. This initiative is to proclaim clear and loud that the mass communications media used by you are an expression of the purpose of God of gathering the humanity into one family.”

The challenging theme New Technologies, New Relationships: Towards Friendship, Dialogue and Communion, was the focus while he was speaking at the Participation Certificates distribution ceremony at D. Bosco’s Auditorium on November 15, 2009, Day of Mass Media Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.

Children, with ages ranging from 8 to 17 years, coming from Panjim, Sta. Cruz, Nerul, Goa Velha, Candolim, Salvador do Mundo, Penha de França, Pilerne, Pomburpa and Socorro, took part in quiz, drawing, sms2God, quickpix competitions, designed by and executed under the supervision Fr. Ralin de Sousa, sdb, for the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media, in collaboration with Sr. Jolly, fmck and Mr. Orlando Fernandes, designer of the Archdiocesan website www.archgoadaman.org.
 

Earlier during the day, Fr. Francisco Caldeira, Director of the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media, welcomed the gathering and Fr. Ralin de Souza, sdb, proposed vote of thanks. The Panjim Youth Group and Benaulim Youth Group were very active in compering the event, animating the participants and ensuring the smoothness of the proceedings. The success of this novel initiative is due to the catechists of the respective parishes who trained their wards within the limited time and with the limited resources and accompanied them for the event.
 

The Prize distribution function will be held on January 26, 2010, on the occasion when Pope Benedict XVI will launch the new Message for the World Communications Day 2010 "The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word", as announced by a communiqué from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications on October 29, 2009, feast day of the Holy Archangels and the Papal Message is launched on January 24, feast of St. Francis of Sales. The universally fixed day is the Sunday preceding the feast of the Holy Spirit while in India it is celebrated on a Sunday which precedes the Feast of Christ the King.