Indonesian nuns trained as digital media content creators

The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Carolus Borromeus (CB) of the Indonesian Province hosted a team of content creators and a specialized program training for digital catechesis at the Carolus Borromeus Syantikara Formation House in Yogyakarta City from February 2 to 4.

Father Antonius Haryanto, a social media influencer (@mohary.bdg), and Lisa Esti Puji Hartanti, Priscilia Panti Meyrina, Joshua Eka Pramudya, Brigitta Adelia Dewandari, Scholastica Alfrida Puspitasari and Marcelina Kristiani, a group of graduates from the Youth Creative Academy (@omknet), a social media training community of the Youth Commission of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference for the Indonesian Catholic Young People, conducted the training.

The 20 participants received information on various strategies, including social media catechesis, social media management, content planning, copywriting, graphic content, video content, social media marketing, and public relations, as well as followers and engagement management. After the session, participants worked on tasks related to the material in groups guided by facilitators from the team of instructors. This allows participants to apply what they have learned directly in practice.

"The purpose of this training is to enhance the sisters' ability to proclaim the Kingdom of God and the spirituality of the Congregation to the wider community through digital media," said Sr. Ariati CB, Coordinator of the CB Congregation's Digital Apostolate Team.

The material provided emphasized creating content that always meets the participants' needs, ensuring they benefit from it. During the first session, participants analyzed the virtual situation around them. Then, it was about technical strategies for content creation and operational management of social media and websites.

“We want to reach out to young people, most of whom are in the digital space. That is why this training was held for young sisters so that they can proclaim the Good News in the language of young people,” explained Sr. Emmanuella CB, member of the Provincial Council of the CB Congregation and companion of the CB team for the digital apostolate.

The instructor emphasized prioritizing educational content alongside other types, like information about activities and community promotion, when creating a content strategy. This is because educational content can help followers learn a lesson, such as a daily catechesis, one minute about the teachings of the Catholic Church, etc.

“The material is interesting. For example, in one of the tasks, we were asked to walk around the training venue and create video content,” said Sister Jacqueline CB, one of the participants.

The participants present all tasks, and the instructors give feedback. After completing the training, the team is ready to implement the task results.

The participants showed enthusiasm and were increasingly encouraged to actively engage and be productive in the digital world.

The CB Congregation has digital accounts on social media such as Facebook (Sister CB Indonesia), Instagram (@sustercbindonesia), TikTok (@sustercbindonesia), YouTube (@SusterCBIndonesia), and the website (http://www.sustercb.com/), with followers up to tens of thousands.

In the modern world, catechesis is considered an alternative to interpersonal contact and motivating training. Based on survey data from the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association, the penetration rate of Internet users in Indonesia has increased year by year. In 2024, it was 79.5 percent, an increase of 1.31 percent from the previous year, or around 221 million people had access to the internet. - Lisa Esti Puji Hartanti