Our 2017 World Communications Day Catholic Media Conference is May 17 at the BRIC Arts Media House in Brooklyn. Learn More and Sign Up
On Wednesday, May 11th at 11 a.m., DeSales Media Group will host the Diocese of Brooklyn’s World Communications Day Catholic Media Conference. The 25th annual event at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams Street, Downtown Brooklyn, aligns with the Vatican’s 50th annual celebration of World Communications Day.
World Communications Day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 as time to explore how modern means of social communication can best be utilized by the Church. This year’s theme chosen by Pope Francis is “Communication and Mercy: A Fruitful Encounter.”
Over the years, the local celebration has grown from a small diocesan event to a full-scale conference of media influencers. The purpose is to connect, inspire, and bring together Catholic television, print, and digital content creators, entertainers, innovators, and media executives.
In this year’s conference, the Diocese of Brooklyn will honor Rev. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. with the St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award. Father Rosica, who will serve as keynote speaker, is the CEO of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation and the English Language Attaché of the Holy See Press Office.
A native of Rochester, New York, Father Rosica was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in 2009. Since the Papal Transition in 2013, he has been the English Language Attaché to the Holy See Press Office, working closely with Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, and relating on a daily basis to several hundred English language journalists and television and radio personnel around the world. During this time, he also served as Media Attaché at four Synods of Bishops at the Vatican in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2015. In addition to his work with the Vatican, Father Rosica is the Chief Executive Officer of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation, Canada’s first national Catholic Television Network. In that capacity, he has been Executive Producer of over 50 documentaries and hundreds of television programs for the network over the past 13 years.
“It is my pleasure to honor Father Tom Rosica with our St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award for his contribution to Catholic media, a fundamental tool of modern evangelization,” said the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, who will present the award. “It is my hope that through his wise and insightful keynote speech our attendees will feel inspired to practice Mercy through the gift of communication.”
The conference program includes breakout sessions featuring: Jennifer Fulwiler, host of The Jennifer Fulwiler Show, The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM; John Harper, host of Morning Air Show on Relevant Radio; Michael O’Loughlin, Journalist & Author of The Tweetable Pope; Cynthia Dermody, International Deputy Editor of Aleteia For Her; Cory Heimann, Chief Creative Director of Likeable Art; Michael La Civita, Chief Communications Officer of CNEWA; Edward Clancy, Director of Aid to the Church in Need; and Leah Libresco, news writer at FiveThirtyEight.com.
Immediately following, honoree Father Rosica will join a panel discussion with Doug Keck, Chief Operating Officer of EWTN; Elizabeth Scalia, Editor in Chief of Aleteia; and Monsignor Kieran Harrington, Chairman of DeSales Media Group and NET TV. The program will close with a special presentation by actor Danny Jacobs, voice of “King Julien” for DreamWorks Nickelodeon Madagascar Franchise. Click here to see the complete list of speakers and their respective biographies.
The doors of the conference will open at 10 a.m. for registration. The program will begin at 11 a.m., with a livestream of the keynote available at https://desalesmedia.org/
For more information on the conference program and timeline, please visit www.desalesmedia.org/
DeSales Media is the communications and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn, publishing Catholic news, information, entertainment and religious programming across all media. Their properties include the weekly diocesan newspaper The Tablet, the monthly Hispanic newspaper Nuestra Voz, the cable network New Evangelization Television NET TV and the Catholic Telemedia Network (CTN).