President’s Report to the Annual Meeting

May 29, 2008 – Toronto, Canada

Truly, there is no area of human experience, especially given the vast phenomenon of globalization, in which the media have not become an integral part of interpersonal relations and of social, economic, political and religious development.

 Pope Benedict XVI, World Communication Day 2008

Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the 2008 World Communications Day reminds us of our responsibility as individual Catholic communicators, but also as an association to be sources of light, of positive influence on our own media and that of the larger society. We all have experienced in the last six years, especially, of our association together as the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals the meteoric development of online technologies, communities, and commerce. We see the good – increased access to timely information, spaces for people to convene to share interests and support one another, and new ways for people to learn about one another across divisions of geography, language, religion, and culture. But, we also know of the challenges – extra demands on our organizations to be more transparent, to respond to citizen journalists, to learn to navigate the shoals of questionable information, and a tendency toward mean-spiritedness on the part of some.

In the past year, the Catholic Academy has attempted to help members engage in the issues of today’s media by:

§       Exploring areas of media convergence and a future orientation in last year’s convention sessions.

§       Highlighting good uses of media and exploring our work together in a monthly e-newsletter.

§       Learning to make good use of Webinar technology through two sessions sponsored jointly with CPA.

§       Participating with SIGNIS in continuing efforts to build a culture of peace through the media.

The new media – telecommunications and internet in particular – are changing the very face of communication; perhaps this is a valuable opportunity to reshape it, to make more visible, as my venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II said, the essential and indispensable elements of the truth about the human person (cf. Apostolic Letter The Rapid Development, 10).
             Pope Benedict XVI, World Communication Day 2008

In the past year, the Catholic Academy has made significant efforts to raise the profile of the Gabriel Awards, our signature event for our organization outside Catholic circles. While entries come from Catholic colleagues, our greatest evangelization is in honoring those who create excellent programs in the secular media. Last summer, Fr. Ron Schmidt, SJ, stepped in as chair of the Gabriel Awards and did a valiant job of putting together our October presentation at the Directors Guild of America. A committee of board members led by Ellen McCloskey upgraded our promotional brochure and website (www.gabrielawards.com). We are grateful to Fr. Ron for continuing in that role and in moving forward several initiatives:

§       Forming an honorary board composed of celebrity supporters.

§       Forging partnerships with Hollywood media organizations to support the Gabriel Awards.

§       Expanding on the strong, but small, reputation of the Gabriel Awards.

§       Providing Catholic Academy members tools to promote the awards.

The Gabriel Awards is our best opportunity to “reshape” communications by our opportunity to honor programs that uplift the human spirit. If you wonder how you can help support and promote the Gabriel Awards, contact Ron Schmidt at schmidt.re@gmail.com.

We look forward to new leadership in the Catholic Academy with our election at this convention. The Catholic Academy continues to face challenges of relevance, vitality, and sustainability. We are the U.S. affiliate of the World Catholic Association for Communication and must claim – and earn – our spot as the Catholic media association in the United States. As we look to the future, we need to explore how we can work better together and how the Catholic Academy structures can support that vital role. We must also increase membership and find other financial resources to allow us to implement initiatives that will benefit us all and Catholic communications in this country.

I encourage you to become more involved in the Catholic Academy, to offer your suggestions as well as your questions and challenges. We are in this together.

I am unceasingly grateful for the people who make up Academy. I especially want to thank our Board members and Sue West in our national office. It is an honor to serve with them.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeanean D. Merkel

President