Kefamo, Goroka: Eleven Religious Sisters from different congregations were the pioneers of the SOCOM Formation Program for Religious Sisters held at Kefamo Conference Center in the Diocese of Goroka from November 11 – 15, 2024.
(Participants from different Religious congregations, Bishop of Goroka Diocese
Bishop Walenty Gryk SVD and SOCOM Secretary Sr Daisy Anne Lisania Augustine MSC)
The formation program was an initiative of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Social Communications Commission under the leadership of Sr Daisy Anne Lisania Augustine MSC as the Secretary.
The aim of the program was to form the Religious Sisters to be effective communicators in their respective ministries while emulating Christ as the perfect communicator, especially in today’s digital era.
The sessions were centered around theme: Empowering Religious Sisters to be Communicators in the Digital Age.
The brief introductory session on the evening of Monday November 11 set the tone for the workshop when the SOCOM team outlined the ground rules and expectations while distributing materials needed for the duration of the workshop.
The sessions for the first day dwelt on the Catholic Church’s documents on communication to help the Sisters understand communication from the Church’s perspective. His Lordship Bishop Walenty Gryk SVD, the Shepherd of Goroka Diocese was the guest presenter and took the participants through a session on Evangelizing Communication to help them explore new and creative ways of evangelizing.
The first day ended with a short visit to the Goroka Bilum Market for a practical activity of encountering people and communicating with them. The Sisters enjoyed the afternoon mingling with the friendly and hardworking locals listening with empathy to their struggles while admiring their talents and perseverance.
Sessions for the second day focused on Ethics in Internet, the advantages and disadvantages of the internet, and tips on how to E-vangelize on the internet. The day concluded with an introductory session on news writing that later had the sisters unleash their creativity in news writing.
The last day allowed the Sisters to go deeper into the basics of news writing. Concluding the series of sessions was the photography session. The session highlighted the basics in photography followed by a practical activity that had the Sisters testing out the skills they just learnt using their mobile phones. The day ended with the presentation of photographs from the activity that left a lasting impression of amazement in the Sisters at how beautiful their pictures turned out with the basic photography guidelines and the use of a simple mobile phone.
To conclude the program, a closing ceremony was held to present the certificates to the Sisters. Present as the guest speaker in this small but significant event was His Lordship Bishop Walenty Gryk SVD. Several participants of the workshop had the opportunity to share their testimonies before the presentation of the certificates. To show their appreciation, the participants also presented a gift to Bishop Walenty, the Sister in Charge of Kefamo Conference Center Sr Merilyne RSM and the facilitators.
His Lordship Bishop Gryk SVD congratulated the participants for their dedication and eagerness to learn and encouraged them to put into practice what they have learnt from the workshop when they return to their communities.
“You have gained new insights on Church Communication during this workshop, therefore, you have a big task to go back to your communities and be communicators of the Digital Age. Look for creative means to communicate with the people. Meet people where they are, as they are and communicate from them with your hearts”
SOCOM Secretary Sr Daisy Anne Lisania Augustine MSC expressed sentiments of joy saying that Commission is looking at programs that empower and enable the religious to be critical thinkers and creative communicators in their respective pastoral ministries.
“We started last year with the first SOCOM Formation for Priestly Summit which had 36 participants and we’re continuing this initiative, this time with the Religious Sisters and we look forward to hosting other programs like these two in the coming years”
The evening concluded with a final blessing given by Bishop Gryk SVD and a group photograph to mark the occasion.
Participating Archdioceses/Dioceses include Madang, Mount Hagen, Mendi, Wabag, Bougainville, Wewak, Aitape and Vanimo with participants belonging to different congregations such as Sisters of St Therese of the Child Jesus, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oblates of Notre Dame, Franciscan Sisters of Mary, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Nazareth, Rosary Sisters and Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Comments from the participants:
Everything I learnt was important and I liked most was how the presentations were delivered during the workshop in a logical way for us to understand well. – Sr Grace Nakan FSM
What I liked most about the program was that it helped me to understand more on church communication that is based on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. – Sr Getrude Misiri CSN
I am looking forward to share this knowledge with my sisters when we have our community meeting and table conversation. – Sr Mary Lilian SND
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