Belize City, Belize, February 11, 2023 – Opening of the new Diocesan Pastoral Communications Center
A new pastoral communications center has been opened for the diocese of Belize City and Belmopan. The center, located at the Msgr. Facundo Castillo building, was opened on Saturday, February 11, 2023 after several years of planning and waiting.
In 2018 there was a competition offered by SIGNIS Services Rome (SSR) entitled, A Call for Project ideas for new media and communication centers. Many consultations, online meetings, setbacks, and delays followed, but after receiving a partial grant from donor, Aid to the Church in Need, a contribution from our diocese and other contributions from our parishes, schools and business community, the equipment was finally purchased and shipped to Belize.
In 2021, during the pandemic, several members of the diocese attended a yearlong virtual communications course provided by CAST (Caribbean School for Catholic Communication). The course covered audio and video production, camera, print and social media. In 2022, SSR offered courses in WordPress and Podcasting.
Bishop Lawrence Nicasio, who is recovering from Cancer in St. Louis, addressed the guests via Zoom at the opening. In his address he said, “A communication Center in a Diocese is about using another form of mission, of evangelization, spreading God’s Word, the Gospel Message far and wide.” He concluded, “Our work has just begun. With God on our side and our desire to be a new way of being Church, we too will be rejoicing when we see the hand of God working in our ministry to his people in Belize and beyond.”
Father Amelio Chi gave the blessings, and the sign was unveiled by Father Noel Leslie, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish and Ruben Wong, Chair of the Pastoral Communications Commission.
The facilities include a video recording and editing studio, a conference room and an audio recording and editing studio. Equipment includes video editing equipment and software, computers, video cameras, audio/video mixers, lighting, etc.
The Diocesan Pastoral Communications Center will benefit our diocese to fulfill and implement the Antilles Episcopal Conference’s (AEC) plan to have an Integrated Pastoral Communications Plan. It will be used to provide training and meeting venue for programs to enrich the youth and young adults of our diocese, laity and members of the Integrated Pastoral Life Resource teams and provide training/meeting venue for clergy and religious. In short, the facility will make more visible the work of the bishop and the diocese of Belize and allow for evangelization to the furthest reaches of our country and beyond.
SSR is the pastoral and technical branch of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication. SIGNIS Caribbean is a sub-region of SIGNIS ALC (Latin American and Caribbean Catholic Association of Communication). SIGNIS Caribbean (of which Belize is a member), is an association of Catholic media practitioners and professionals from the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC). It brings together Catholic communicators from throughout the Caribbean to engage in discussion and networking with one another to improve communications for a new evangelization in the region.
The Diocese of Belize is an AEC territory falling under the Province of Kingston. Other territories of this Province include the Archdiocese of Kingston, Diocese of Montego Bay, and the Diocese of Mandeville.
Bishops Nicasio’s full address is available here.