Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Broken Bay (Agenzia Fides) – Everything is set for the great e-conference that will connect the entire Church in Australia, as they celebrate the closing of the Year of St. Paul. It is an event, the first of its kind, that incarnates the idea that the modern forms of mass media, properly placed to use, can be effective instruments of evangelization for the Church.
The e-conference of Saint Paul will be held on June 30 and will focus on the theme: “Paul – The Man, the Mission and Message for Today: igniting his purpose and passion.” Thanks to the Internet and other new technologies, the event will be able to be heard and seen simultaneously by all the faithful across Australia. The conference will be interactive and the listeners will be able to participate directly with questions, comments, etc.
It is organized by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, with the technical assistance of Broken Bay Institute, and will feature sessions from world renowned Scripture scholars, Brendan Byrne SJ, Michele Connolly RSJ and film, media and communication scholar, Richard Leonard SJ.
Bishop David Walker, a member of the Bishops Commission for Mission and Faith Formation, praised the initiative that, for the first time will place the entire Church in the country in live communication. “St Paul...would surely have been proud,” the Bishop said, inviting all the faithful to participate in this final event of the Year of St. Paul in Australia.
The e-conference format being used by Broken Bay, Australian Church sources say, will be used in the future for other important events. The website announcing the event and offering instructions on how to connect to and follow the conference has been open since June1 (see www.bbi.catholic.edu.au). (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/06/2009)
