Media ministry revitalised at St Charles, Tunapuna

In July 2025, under the guidance of parish priest Msgr Esau Joseph, our parish invested in a new state-of-the-art sound audio system and installed digital video streaming equipment. Immediately after, the church also took the opportunity to purchase and instal video-streaming and screen operations equipment to introduce a full media operation in the church, thereby answering the call made by Pope John Paul II to the Church in 2002 to use the internet and digital technology to evangelise and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the gateway to begin the Media and Communications Ministries.

Through the formulation and vision of the Archdiocese, Catholic Media Services Limited (Camsel), and in collaboration with our parish priest, the parish Ministry Animation Team (MAT), and the equipment engineer, they all agreed that trained personnel are required to operate the systems with the skill and mindset in media literacy.

A search was conducted throughout the parish to attract a skilled media professional to assist. Through guidance and enquiries, a Media Consultant and Educator was quietly sitting among us in the pews, and when asked, he willingly said yes to the call.

His immediate responsibilities were to:

• Create an Operational Structure for the Media and Communications Ministry
• Create modules and facilitate training sessions and formation for interested individuals who registered for the Ministry’s training
• Ensure that spiritual development synergises with the media training
• Mentor individuals after the completion of training.

The orientation and training session began in mid-February. Through many challenges and with a small number of participants registered, the consultant stayed focused on his assignment.

We were exposed to a wide range of topics relating to the secular media industry and what is required in our Media and Communications Ministry operations.

Some modules covered were:

• Media Literacy–exposing us to the media industry and developing skills and mindsets
• Media Content Creation–helping us to understand the role of content creators, creators of the messages, and the role of the messenger
• Screen Operation–developing mindset and skill sets and using the screen as a teaching platform to teach the structure of the Mass
• Live-streaming production–developing skills, mindset, and audience appreciation
• Public Speaking and Interviewing Styles, Techniques, and Skills Development
• Media Management and Team Dynamics

Uniquely, throughout our training, spirituality, spiritual awareness, and spiritual development were key factors in the formation of this ministry.

Admittedly, every aspect of the training opened our eyes; there was some discomfort due to ignorance, and things we took for granted. Through these encounters, we understand what it means to be a witness and a messenger of the message.

In the end, we are more aware and wiser about what we took for granted and what is required of us to operate in the ministry. Out of these training sessions, media coordinators and team leads have been selected for specific tasks within the ministry.

During our discernment retreat, facilitated by Fr Julio Cuan, we have discovered a gold mine for evangelisation, how to proclaim the Gospel and the teachings of the Church, and what our mission is as missionaries, witnesses, and messengers. The efficacy of our spiritual encounters left us with a mountaintop experience.

We’ve discovered that we are the first fruits of the tree and we are called to be sowers to plant seeds in the lives of many, the lost, the lonely, the forgotten, the voiceless and those who are weak in faith within our parish, the diocese and the world through the platforms of technology.

Networking, collaboration, and partnerships are key components in this mission. We desperately need miners, helpers, and collaborators from the parish to serve with passion and obedience in content creation and as witnesses of the message.

As the fire to serve burns within us, our graduation ceremony sealed a bond between us and a passionate experience only the Holy Spirit can give. Through that spiritual encounter, we identified that we belonged to one family with one mission: “to serve in obedience and with passion.”

Though we came from different backgrounds with unique experiences, skill sets, and mindsets, we answered the call for mission and ministry.

Following our graduation, we came together as one family united to give thanks to God during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the parish Sunday evening Mass. We were blessed and consecrated for the mission in the presence of parishioners as witnesses.

— Media and Communications Ministry of the Parish of St Charles Borromeo RC Tunapuna