The Caribbean School for Catholic Communications (CSCC) last Saturday (Aug 14) successfully completed another week of training in various media and media related disciplines. Theme for this year’s school was Forming Missionary Disciples in a Digital Age.

Representatives from several dioceses in the region participated in the week-long, live-in school in the halls of the Emmaus Centre in Arima. Organised by the Living Water Community, the school is now in its 16th year.

Talking to some of the participants revealed their deep desire to see the Church in the Caribbean grow, in spite of the fact of having to respond positively to the multitude of changes talking place around us, especially in the area of communication technology.

Discussions also revealed that the youth recognise the power of the tools now available to them in communicating the word and by extension adding another serious dimension to the New Evangelisation.

As to be expected the youngsters were all gung ho about new media – the technology that allows them to communicate instantly with their friends and peers, but at the same time having an understanding of the awesome responsibility that has been placed on them to ramp up the evangelisation process using new media. They all agreed that the choice of the theme was most appropriate.

The hope that glistened on the campus during CSCC week must serve as an impetus to encourage the young to go out and evangelise – back in their communities, their parishes; their schools and by extension their dioceses.

As one looked at the participants as they went about their work, one could not help but realise there is great hope for the regional Church and that the work of the CSCC has indeed produced good results.

When the CSCC’s annual offering is put together with the Associate degree being offered by the Catholic Religious Education Development Institute (CREDI) in Pastoral Communication, with specialisation in Media Techniques, the Church in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain and the wider Caribbean seems set for a vibrant period of new evangelisation.