By Kathleen Bagg
Pope Francis, in this Holy Year of Mercy, invites all of us to reflect on the relationship between communication and mercy. In his message for the 50th World Communications Day that was released from the Vatican on January 24, this year, he said, “What we say and how we say it, our every word and gesture, ought to express God’s compassion, tenderness and forgiveness for all. Love, by its nature, is communication; it leads to openness and sharing. If our hearts and actions are inspired by charity, by divine love, then our communication will be touched by God’s own power.”
Our Holy Father calls us to communicate with everyone, without exception. “The Church’s words and actions are all meant to convey mercy, to touch people’s hearts and to sustain them on their journey to that fullness of life which Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to bring to all,” he said.
Bishop Estévez, as part of the Year of Mercy set aside Sept. 12 – Mercy Monday – as a day for Catholics who have been away from the practice of their faith to come back to the Church. The diocese purchased time on local television stations in Gainesville and Jacksonville to reach out to our brothers and sisters with a message of hope and compassion. This message is just one example of how we can communicate God’s love for all.
This month, Catholics will be asked to consider giving to the Help Spread the Faith Catholic Communications Appeal. The appeal will be taken up in all parishes the weekend of Sept. 24-25.
The appeal funds our communications efforts right her in the diocese through our work on the St. Augustine Catholic magazine, the ongoing development of the diocesan website (dosafl.com), our efforts in social media through Facebook and Twitter, the weekly Spanish Mass on radio for the homebound and La Voz de Emmanuel – a weekly informational talk show for Hispanic Catholics – and many other efforts to spread the church’s message of hope, love and mercy to the community at-large.
Your generous contributions also help us assist parishes by developing strategies to improve their communications by introducing tools that will help parishioners stay connected to their faith community.
Communications technology has opened up broader horizons for many people. It is a gift from God which involves a great responsibility, shares Pope Francis. “In a broken, fragmented and polarized world, to communicate with mercy means to help create healthy, free and fraternal closeness between the children of God and all our brothers and sisters in the one human family,” said the Holy Father. Please consider helping us fulfill this goal through our local efforts.
If you miss the HSF Communications Appeal weekend, you can still contribute by sending your donations to the diocese, c/o the Office of Communications, 11625 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32258. Please mark “HSF Communications Appeal” on your check. If you have questions about the appeal and where the money goes, email kbagg@dosafl.com or call (904) 262-1705.