May 28, 2011

Dear Friends in Christ,

Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus assured his disciples that he would not abandon them. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the apostles, God communicates to us the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Since the first Pentecost, communicating God’s word has been an integral part of the Church’s great commission.

The message of God’s love is needed today as much as in apostolic times. We live in a world that longs for hope, and our prayers to God are our way of communicating with the almighty Father who never fails to answer us.

Next weekend, June 4 and 5, I ask for your support of the Annual Catholic Communications Campaign. It may seem strange at first to think of communications as essential to the work of the Church yet, as we anticipate the Solemnity of Pentecost, I ask you to reflect on the importance of social communications to our mission to evangelize.

Our world hungers for answers to life’s most challenging questions yet tries to be fed on sound bites in the media. The Catholic Church must have a voice in the social media to reach those who are alone, hurting, or struggling in any way. Perhaps they are homebound, elderly or ill. They may have left the Church and need to revive their connection with our family of faith. Others may be confused or mistaken about Church teachings which, in fact, uphold the dignity of all human beings. We must reach out to all through social communications. In so doing, we extend an invitation to a relationship with Jesus Christ, an invitation which is the foundation of the new evangelization.

It is no surprise that it takes the financial support of parishioners like you to help us in this cause. Our local presence on cable television, on the internet, on radio, and in secular papers is made possible thanks to this annual collection. Each year brings with it new challenges in order to keep pace with the rapidly evolving communication technologies. The campaign also makes possible a national presence in media as well, complementing our local efforts through the work of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I invite you to learn more about Catholic Communications at our website, worcesterdiocese.org and to support this collection. As always, I give thanks to God for the continued generosity of the people of our diocese and pray for you daily. Please join me in praying that the Holy Spirit will grant us the wisdom to deliver to our world a message of hope which is found in Jesus Christ.

With prayerful best wishes, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, S.T.D.
Bishop of Worcester