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Catholic Communicators Must “conceive, share the word of God”: Mozambican Nun

Sunday of the Word of God at the Holy Family Basilica of Kenya's Archdiocese of Nairobi. Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

A Mozambican-born member of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP/Pauline Sisters) has underscored the need for Catholic communicators to anchor their work in the Word of God, highlighting the Bible as an essential tool for evangelization.

In an interview with ACI Africa shortly after participating in the Enthronement of the Bible during the Sunday of the Word at the Holy Family Minor Basilica of Kenya’s Nairobi Archdiocese, Sr. Olga Massango emphasized that communicators must familiarize themselves with the Scriptures, study them, and make them a guiding principle in their lives.

Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

“The Bible is the tool of the communicator because, like Mary, they are called to conceive the Word of God through reading and studying it, then give Jesus to all by sharing their own experience of faith in the light of the Word of God,” Sr. Massango told ACI Africa January 26.

She explained that the Sunday of the Word of God is meant to encourage a deeper knowledge of Scripture, urging communicators to embrace the practice of studying and disseminating it.

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Reflecting on the historical background of the printed Gospel, Sr. Massango, who serves as the Marketing and Projects Coordinator at  Paulines Publications Africa (PPA) in Kenya, highlighted the significance of this day for the Daughters of St. Paul.

Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

“It takes us back to revive the spirit of the first steps of our congregation,” Sr. Massango said, recalling how, within five years, the Daughters of St. Paul actively participated in spreading the Gospel by organizing Bible Days and Feasts of the Gospel.

She referenced Pope Benedict XV’s 1920 encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus on St. Jerome, which marked the 1500th anniversary of the saint’s death and paved the way for the printing of the Gospel.

Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

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As part of their participation in the Jubilee of the World of Communications, the Daughters of St. Paul also passed through the Holy Door at the Holy Family Minor Basilica, an act of renewal and commitment to fraternity, reconciliation, peace, tolerance, and patience.

“The prayers for the Pilgrimage of the Holy Door provided by the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization are tools that help the pilgrim of hope enter into a deep encounter with the Lord,” Sr. Massango said.

Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

She emphasized that communication is integral to evangelization, warning that a Church that neglects modern means of communication risks being “a silent Church” cut off from its mission.

“The world of communications is a culture and civilization by itself,” she observed, adding that the Jubilee of the World of Communication sets the tone for all pastoral animation in evangelization.

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Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

She called on Catholic media to act as a catalyst, making visible the Church’s pastoral activities at the parish, diocesan, national, and global levels.

Credit: Paulines Publications Africa (PPA)

“As pilgrims of hope, communicators can amplify the message of hope during the Jubilee Year by creating good Christian content packaged in an attractive mode to reach out to many, particularly the youth,” Sr. Massango said.