austraLasia 1294
Centenary Seminar : Know where you intend to go!
GUWAHATI: 19th October 2005 -- As a follow-up to an
earlier news item in the day, we report that the South Asia Social
Communication Conference, with 38 participants from 10 province, is now
in full swing. It began with a solemn Eucharist presided over by
Fr Ivo Coelho, Mumbai provincial in charge of Social Communications for
the South Asia Salesian Provincial Conference. In his homily Fr
Coelho insisted that besides communicating and networking,
communicators ought know where they intend to go… He insisted that they
should also build communion in the provinces.
The BOSCOM
seminar is of interest not just because it is one of a
range of centenary seminars in the South Asia Region. In fact it
offers the Congregation yet another example of the value of regional
coordination in the Social Communications area. South Asia is not
alone in this. The neighbouring East Asia-Oceania Region offers a
looser form of organisation but with some effective practices
nonetheless. In the Spanish-speaking world, the Iberian peninsula
has
a strong organisation and formation approach.
In the first session, National
Coordinator of BOSCOM-India, Fr K.J.
Louis, presented a detailed history of Social Communications in India
from 1906, the time of the arrival of the first batch of Saleisans at
Thanjore in South India. Fr George Plathottam (ING), the South Asia
President of the Union of Catholic International Press presented some
of the Social Communications Challenges Facing the Salesians in South
Asia. A panel discussion on Salesians in South Asia and Formation in
Social Communication by Frs Joe Andrew (INM), Tarcisus Toppo (IND) and
Thota Mariadas (INH) followed. Fr Paul Puthanangady, coordinator of the
centenary seminars, spoke on creative ways for Salesians to be more
relevant in Social Communications in South Asia.
Fr C. M. Paul (INC) gave a passionate presentation
paper on Social Communications and Salesian Youth Ministry. In a panel
discussion on Looking Ahead: Strategies for Future, Frs. Darryl D’Souza
(INB), Francis Karackatt (INK) and PT Joseph (INM) spelt out the
advantages of technology, network and national goal settings.
VOCABULARY
BOSCOM: Association of Provincial
Delegates for Social Communication, India
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