Juatuba, Brazil: Thirty-five participants gathered at the Claretian Spirituality Centre in Juatuba, MG from May 24-26, 2024 for the Claretian Communication Meeting. Organized by the Prefecture of Apostolate, the event aimed to initiate the creation of the Communication Plan for the Province of Brazil.

The meeting featured Marcus Tullius, the national coordinator of the Pastoral of Communication in Brazil. He discussed “What does the Church of Brazil expect from us?”, drawing on the “Guidelines for Communication of the Church of Brazil”. Tullius also explored the Dicastery for Social Communications’ document, “Towards Full Presence”.

In another session, the Province’s communication advisors, Gabriel Coutinho Oliveira Júnior and Suzana Costa Coutinho, guided the group through the Claretian charism and its history in social communication, referencing the book “Navigating Networks” by Fr. Agustín Cabré, a Claretian missionary from Chile. They also presented texts from the General and Provincial Chapters on communication and the communication project proposal by the Claretian Missionaries of America (MICLA).

The third part of the meeting focused on planning actions for the Strategic Communication Plan for the Claretian Province of Brazil. This work will continue through monthly online meetings, fostering synodality in the plan’s development. Strengthening the connections between the Province’s various missionary fronts, such as parishes, the education network, media, formation, publishing, and social projects, is also a key goal.

Shared Mission in Communication

Fr. José Heitor Vasconcelos de Menezes, CMF, Prefect of Apostolate, noted that the meeting, held in this format for the first time, allowed people involved in the Province’s various activities to come together. “Everyone welcomed the reflection proposal and each other with joy and open hearts. It’s crucial to see that we are all co-participants in the same mission, even though we are in different places and contexts,” he explained.

Provincial Superior Fr. Eguione Nogueira Ricardo, CMF, emphasized that the meeting aligns with the 5th Provincial Chapter’s commitment to creating a Provincial Communication project. “Together, in a spirit of synodality, as the Church teaches and asks of us in these times, we can find ways to foster increasingly effective communication in the service of the Gospel,” he highlighted.

Giovana Scarparo, a member of the Pastoral of Communication at the Corazón de María Parish in Batatais, SP, shared that this was her first meeting with the Pastoral of Communication and other groups that communicate Jesus in the style of Saint Anthony Mary Claret. “Participating in these days was incredibly enriching. I learned a lot, even in my restlessness. I listened attentively and reflected on each issue raised. I am taking small steps to learn more about Claret and the best way to communicate Love, Jesus, Mary, and our Faith to the world,” she said.