Digital age continues to provide ways to share God’s boundless love with others

Marcus Norwood, media technician coordinator for the Office of Communications, uses a drone to take video of the 2023 Steps for Students 5K race and walk in February. (Photo courtesy of Up In The Air)
HOUSTON — As the digital communications age continues to bring forth both challenges and opportunities to connect with others and minister to their needs as a local and global Church, inspiring words from the Holy Father close to a decade ago still ring true.

“The revolution taking place in communications media and in information technologies represents a great and thrilling challenge; may we respond to that challenge with fresh energy and imagination as we seek to share with others the beauty of God,” said Pope Francis in his 2014 message for World Communications Day,

About the same time the internet became mainstream in the 1990s, the Office of the Secretariat for Communications of the Archdiocese was created to share the Gospel message of God’s boundless love with Catholics and non-Catholics alike through words of hope, images of Christ’s work and modern communication tools.

“While the forms and frequency of communications have certainly evolved in subsequent years, our mission has remained the same: Using these channels to inform and evangelize,” said Jonah Dycus, director of the Archdiocesan Office of Communications. “With the ever-evolving digital landscape, there are more opportunities and challenges in disseminating our messages and updates, but we continue to strive to connect with people ‘where they are.’”

Dycus said since the ministry’s creation in 1997, it has served as the official “voice” of the Archdiocese on issues related to the Catholic Church and on Archdiocesan events, programs and services. It also facilitates official Chancery communication with Archdiocesan parishes, schools, offices and departments.

To effectively connect with the more than 1.7 million Catholics in the Archdiocese, which is one of the largest and most diverse dioceses in the U.S., the Office of Communications is responsible for developing and maintaining the official website, www.archgh.org, and all social networking efforts. In addition, the office is responsible for media relations, internal communications, the radio ministry, and Texas Catholic Herald newspaper that, in its 58th year, currently reaches approximately 70,000 subscribers living in 10 counties in the Archdiocese.

“A few years ago, through the Texas Catholic Herald, we launched ‘The Digest,’ an e-blast that features local content from each edition of the newspaper and distributes news alerts to subscribers,” said Dycus. “A goal this year is to create more video and audio/podcast content, as well as continue the facilitation of streams of Archdiocesan Masses at the Co-Cathedral, including ordinations and other events where family and friends may be unable to attend in person.”

Dycus said through these digital and print communications, the Office of Communications is blessed with unique access and opportunities to share stories of the people of the Archdiocese who joyfully fulfill the call to show a true love of neighbor through service and prayer.

“We are grateful to be able to share such testimonies and chronicle the faithful lives of local Catholics,” said Dycus. “Our hope is that these stories will inspire others to become active in their parish not only through Mass but also through volunteer service and outreach opportunities.”

Dycus said another goal this year is to explore and implement new ways to improve internal communications with other chancery departments, as well as parishes and Catholic schools, through software platforms.

“Essentially, we want to streamline the process for submitting updates, news and photos for those entities, as well as make it easier for our team to ultimately share those submissions with our target audiences,” said Dycus.

Dycus said he is grateful for the support of the faithful in the Archdiocese who support the annual Diocesan Services Fund appeal, which ensures that the Office of Communications and 60-plus ministries are able to remain operational and fulfill their mission.

“The needs of the parishes and the people in the pews are our priority,” said Dycus. “We strive to be a resource to pastors and church staffs, as well as a source of information for the faithful and those seeking to learn more about the Archdiocese and the Church.”

In a recent letter to the faithful in the Archdiocese, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo said the DSF exists “because we are Catholic and we are called to serve one another.”

“God, who is truly the strength of our hearts, calls us through His son Jesus to love and serve joyfully,” said Cardinal DiNardo. “The Diocesan Services Fund allows us, as Catholic Christians, to joyfully fulfill that call and to show a true love of neighbor through service and prayer.”

Cardinal DiNardo said through the DSF, the local Church can more fully live out the Gospel message of Jesus Christ by serving the poor, the sick, the homeless and the forgotten; educating future generations of faithful and flourishing Catholics through schools; preparing seminarians for the priesthood and supporting the clergy; and nurturing holy families that bring the love of God into each of their homes and communities.

To learn more about the Office of Communications and 60-plus ministries supported by the DSF, go to archgh.org/dsf. The DSF supports each of these ministries, whether direct service or education, which require this critical funding to remain in operation. Out of each gift given to DSF, 100% of every dollar goes directly to supporting these ministries.