St. Francis Xavier wasn’t a journalist, but he has much to teach us about spreading the news, particularly the good news.

The relic of the evangelizing saint arrived in Vancouver on, appropriately, World Communications Day, which is the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists and communicators. The thousands of people who turned out to honour St. Francis Xavier show there’s a thirst for the good news that he was on fire to share with the world.

It’s the same mission we are all called to – ordinary Catholics, and in a special way, we communicators.

As Archbishop Miller said at Mass the night of the relic’s arrival, “everyone is an agent of evangelization.” Quoting Pope Francis, he said, “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

The archbishop said Francis’s mission strategy was simple: he entered into the life of the people; he learned the language of the people, shared their culture, and proclaimed the Gospel in ways they would understand.

This is what we’re trying to do in the Archdiocese, in particular through our new archdiocesan priorities, such as helping people get closer to Jesus, as well as through new communications initiatives.

You’ll be hearing more in coming weeks, but essentially The B.C. Catholic and communications offices are now integrated and supported by a creative design and social media framework.

We’re in some ways emulating Francis Xavier, who the archbishop described as “a man on the run” – in a hurry to reach as many people as possible with the good news of God’s merciful love. People often laughed and jeered at his fumbling efforts to speak their language, but his warm personality and genuineness drew many to Christ.

Communications professionals too are often on the run and occasionally jeered at for their fumbling efforts, but we continue to look for new ways to do our jobs better. For instance, our new archdiocesan communications mission statement calls us to share “stories that reveal the heart of God and draw people to the Church.”

The timing is critical. The digital revolution is reshaping the communications landscape and print media are under extreme pressure to justify their existence. In his message for World Communications Day, Pope Francis reminded journalists that they are called to be “the protectors of news.” In a world where various types of fake news undermine our concepts of truth as well as our social interaction, we need a “journalism of peace,” he said.

The best antidotes to falsehoods, he said, are not strategies, but people: “people who are not greedy but ready to listen, people who make the effort to engage in sincere dialogue so that the truth can emerge; people who are attracted by goodness and take responsibility for how they use language.”

My concern is that although this message is aimed at all media – Catholic press included – many will not see themselves in its message. Which is why it’s so important that Catholic media be supported. We need, as Francis says, “a journalism created by people for people, one that is at the service of all, especially those – and they are the majority in our world – who have no voice.”

The changes in The B.C. Catholic, print and digital, and our social media represent our efforts to be at the service of all. May we emulate St. Francis Xavier, spreading the good news of God’s merciful love to as many people as possible, imperfectly but with personality and genuineness.
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pschratz@rcav.org
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