2501 AUL ACPA life membership Fr Frank Freeman
austraLasia #2501

New media for new apostles - and a distinguished Salesian 'life member'

SYDNEY: 15th September 2009 -- The Australian Catholic Press Association, which concluded its annual Conference, this time held in Sydney from 11-13 September, has just added a new 'Life Member' to its ranks in the person of Fr Frank Freeman SDB, long time editor of the Salesian Bulletin and active in Catholic Press generally as is detailed below.  The ACPA, part of the wider Australian religious Press Association, represents religious press throughout Australasia, which takes in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands as well as the Australian continent. It has some 114 members representing 80 publications and agencies. This year's conference focused on 'New Media for New Apostles' and featured the globally well-known podcast priest Fr Roderick Vanhogen of Utrecht Diocese, Holland. The citation for Fr Freeman's life membership follows:
    Our new 'Life Member' recently wrote an editorial around the predictions of media pundits who regard today's newspapers as "an endangered species" in a world of technical innovations "where young people must be connected to their friends at all times; their technical devices becoming part of their personal identity and potential distribution channels for news and entertainment."  
    In this digital news age the writer saw how his congregation's founder, St John Bosco, first priest-editor of the Salesian Bulletin would be ready to meet these restless consumers with a niche publication of Christian spirituality that (quote) "slows things down a little and tells us what's important and what's not, especially at a local level".
    I am of course talking about Fr Frank Freeman, The Australian Editor of the Salesian Bulletin. As a Salesian, Frank is part of the tradition of religious publishing that has always been a feature of ACPA's membership.
    As a priest-editor Fr Frank has served the Association in ways that are professional and pastoral. He first became our Treasurer in 1996 – a role he continued in until 2002, and was active in at a time in the Association's life when new publications and associate memberships saw us growing bigger and more diverse as a group. Frank was always someone who would welcome the newcomer into the group.
    He has been a celebrant and homilist at our Masses over the years, a conference presenter, and was the originator of the handsome trophies for the Bishop Philip Kennedy Memorial Prizes which are the product of a design and technology assignment he set for Year 12 students at Nagle College where he was for many years the principal.
    Past President Penny Edman described Frank's contributions as ACPA Treasurer in these terms - "As Father Frank settled into the role he took it upon himself to be the guardian of the membership. This meant that not only was he interested in increasing the monetary figures under his control, he took an active and caring interest in the people behind the membership dues - the editors and later associates. In time, he became the association's grandfather figure and after he relinquished responsibility at Nagle College he took this even further, often visiting country editors while travelling on some mission or another, sometimes going out of his way or making a special trip. He was an emissary of light between us."
    In recent years Father Frank has been the driving force in tracking down from many diocesan archives and individuals the primary and secondary sources that allowed us to reconstruct the CPA/ACPA archive, efforts which have been fundamental in allowing us to order our 54 year old archive and compile our own history in time for this conference ...
    Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, ACPA Life Member Father Frank Freeman
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Title: australasia 2501
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces AUL media Fr Freeman
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2501