CARIBBEAN SCHOOL FOR
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS (CSCC)
CELEBRATES ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY - 09 AUGUST 2009
"CSCC an example to the world"
(Taken from the Catholic News of Aug. 16, 2009)
Emcee John Johnson and the cast
of "Spread the Word" are enthusiastically
applauded at the end of the presentation marking the 15th anniversary of CSCC
last Sunday (09 Aug 2009) at Emmaus Centre, Arima. Also in picture is producer
Lisa Bhajan (next to Pierrot Claudette Sinnette) and script writer Frieda Shim
at far right.
Current and former participants and faculty members joined administrators and guests at Emmaus Centre, Arima, as this year’s week of training in various media began with Holy Mass to celebrate the anniversary.
Vicar for Administration and CSCC principal, Msgr Jason Gordon, presided, with concelebrants Vicar for Communications and Head of Catholic Media Services Ltd, Msgr Cuthbert Alexander, Msgr Michael de Verteuil, journalism facilitator and Catholic Chronicle editor Msgr Patrick Anthony of St Lucia, and Msgr Michael Kosak of the US Virgin Islands.
In his homily, Msgr Gordon said the school continued “to answer the call of God to communicate his word of love to civilisation based on community”.
He said the world today was being described as a digital continent, no longer defined by geographic lines. The advent of digital communications had changed everything about the world, he added, including how people, especially the young, thought about what was right and wrong, what was truth, and what was news. “We have been changed by the new technology and we can’t get away from it. It is here to stay and the Church must use it to spread the Word,” Msgr Gordon said, adding that Catholic communication therefore required disciples committed to the Gospel message and kingdom principles. He said it was necessary and critical that the School formed participants for this role.
In closing, he thanked deceased Archbishop Anthony Pantin, who had given his full support to the School in 1995, those at Living Water Community who have managed the School, the many workshop facilitators over the years, and the couple hundred participants from arch/dioceses in the region who have attended.
After Mass and a short break for refreshment, various forms of communication were highlighted in a multi-media presentation titled “Spread the Word”, organised by former and current School participants and faculty. Graduate Claudette Sinnette, dressed as a Pierrot Grenade, provided an entertaining link between the various presentations, which included storytelling by Msgr Patrick Anthony, poetry by graduate Vera Allen and a humourous skit from a Grenadian contingent. Video clips of the School through the years were shown on a large screen. At the back of the hall there was a photographic exhibition of the School over the years.
Also addressing the gathering were Living Water co-founder Rhonda Maingot, Msgr Anthony and Sr Angela Ann Zukowski – on behalf of the faculty, SIGNIS Vice President Gustavo Andujar from Cuba, Msgr Alexander, Msgr Kosak, US-based audio/radio facilitator Sherry Ann Brownrigg and Catholic News editor June Johnston. A vacationing Archbishop Edward Gilbert extended congratulations on the achievement and brought greetings via a pre-recorded video-taped message.
Sr Angela said the School would this year introduce a diploma in Pastoral Communication in association with the archdiocese’s Catholic Religious Education Development Institute (CREDI) and the University of Dayton, Ohio, US.
Andujar described the CSCC as an example to the rest of the world, and to SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication. He indicated that SIGNIS was proud of the School’s work. SIGNIS President Augustine Loorthusamy visited Trinidad last month.
The anniversary celebrations continued with dinner and the cutting of an anniversary cake by Msgr Gordon and Sr Angela Ann. The cake was decorated with the CSCC logo (see photo left)
The School’s theme for the 2007-2009 cycle was Communications: New pathways to God. The sub-theme for 2009 was “Creating a culture of dialogue through print and new technologies.” Faculty and administrators were still to decide on the theme of the next three-year cycle which begins in 2010.