By Prince Henderson, Social & Communications Officer (ECM) & Deogratias Mmana,Association of Catholic Journalists
Catholic Social Communications Commission chairperson, His Lordship Bishop Martin Mtumbuka has asked Catholic Commissions to share resources with Catholic media organizations in the spirit of team work if the Church is make impact.
Mtumbuka said this during a three-day conference for diocesan communications, Bishop secretaries and heads of Catholic media institutions in Lilongwe.
“You have an obligation to share resources. Find a way that these resources reach the Catholic media houses. Support these institutions,” said Mtumbuka just after Catholic Development Commission (Cadecom which is to be called Caritas Malawi) Secretary Carsterns Mulume had given a presentation on the activities of his commission.
Mtumbuka who is also the Bishop for Karonga diocese challenged the commissions to harmonize their activities. He also called for team work among the commissions and the diocesan communications secretaries and Catholic media houses if the church is to make impact.
Said Mtumbuka: “Team work is commended. The Catholic Church is a big institution and unless we are properly organized our big size cannot be seen. Size does not matter unless activities are properly targeted.”
“The Catholic Church is a big institution and unless we are properly organized our big size cannot be seen. Team work is commended and we need to have harmony of continue working together,”he said
The bishop also challenged the diocesan communications secretaries to be proactive in their communications work.
Mulume confessed that his commission needs to do more in terms of collaboration with Catholic media houses.
Cadecom was one of the commissions that gave a presentation on their activities followed by the Education Commission and the Pastoral Commission. Other commissions expected to give reports were Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Catholic Health Commission, Child Protection Desk Commission and the Amecea committee.
Meanwhile,Episcopal Conference of Malawi’s Communications Secretary Fr. Andrew Kaufa says similar workshops will be conducted in the near future and the recent one will be of lay Catholic journalists in February this year.
“The aim of these workshops is simply to keep our Communications Department Vibrant hence we need to be proactive in our work,”said Fr. Kaufa
The Diocesan Bishops and Communications Secretaries that attended the workshop were drawn from all the eight dioceses in Malawi namely,Karonga,Mzuzu,Lilongwe,Dedza,Mangochi,Zomba,Blantyre and Chikwawa.
Participants to the workshop were drilled by experts in the media industry who included,Horace Nyaka,Arthur Chipenda,John Mchilikizo and Francis Chikunkhuzeni.They were among others taken through topics like understanding audiences and importance of successful communications for an organization,News and Press Statements writing (Chikunkuzeni),Understanding Malawi’s Digital Migration project by Mchilikizo.
Other topics included: understanding the duties and roles of Communications Secretaries (Horace Nyaka) and understanding the roles of a Press Officer and Public Relations Officer by Arthur Chipenda.