Indonesian Church holds Social Communication Training for social communication activists

The Social Communication Commission of the Diocese of Bogor, Indonesia, sponsored training for social communication activists at Marsudirini High School in Telaga, on October 1, to increase human resources and abilities in communication skills and professionalism.

The training, with the theme "Communicate with Clarity," was held in collaboration with Multimedia Nusantara University and the Social Communication Commission of the Santo Joannes Baptista Parish, Parung Bogor.

As many as 95 participants, including social communication activists and Marsudirini School students, took part in the event.

The Head of Social Communications of the Diocese of Bogor, Father Yustinus Joned Saputra, stated that the purpose of the training was to develop the talent and skills of social communication activists in the diocese and to prepare professional human resources to serve in their respective parishes.

"In principle, social communication is the mouthpiece of the church, which will be at the forefront of documenting the history of the parish; thus, human resources must be strengthened," the priest said.

Father Saputra continued by stating that the training is not only a response to the numerous demands for social community activist training in parishes but also a boost for those who are prepared to serve in the field of social communication.

He reminded those present that members of the social commission section must be "invisible" and willing to accept the repercussions of whatever service work they perform, even if they do not receive recognition or gratitude.

Ignatius Haryanto, one of the training activity's speakers, discussed the team performance of social service agencies.

He utilized Inter Mirifica and Communio et Progressio to demonstrate how seriously the Catholic Church regards social communication.

"One way the church achieves this is by utilizing modern technologies to facilitate cooperation and teamwork," Haryanto said. 

He said, "The involvement of social and community activists in parishes attempts to build a communication medium that can link people together, allowing us to become acquainted with one another and our surroundings."

Photography, graphic design, social networking, and article writing are included in the training modules. 

The Bogor Diocese is located in the West Java Province, about 56 kilometers from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. It is made up of 18,369 square kilometers.

The diocese has approximately 90,000 Catholics spread across 23 parishes and served by 90 priests. The diocese was established on January 3, 1961- Kasmir Nema.