How to organize the communication of the Order; how to be effective using the resources currently available; share experiences; take advantage of the road travelled in some of the 19 countries where the Order is present … a common goal: to avoid confusion and to project an image that do not distort or betray the history, charism and the day of the Augustinian Recollects.
Together with the eight responsible for the communication appointed by their respective Provincial Superiors, other religious who are involved in the work of communication: Publications, ngos, translations… have participated… from the General Curia in Rome the Prior General, Miguel Miro, the Secretary General, Javier Tello, and the General Councilor responsible for the communication, Paul Panedas, have also taken an active part in these days of work.
Experts
The greeting of Father General For four days the participants have shared in intensive sessions of uninterrupted work of almost ten hours daily. During the first two days of work the participants have had the opportunity of hearing ten newspaper men experts in religious and social communication who perform their work in different means of communication: television, radio, press and internet. All of them have made special emphasis on the opportunity that is presented to the Order in this new scenario, where the use of the synergies can mean a before and an after when presented to society as only one institution.
One of the themes that had been most commented on in the sala has been the challenge that organizations face such as the Order in its relation with the society, as a consequence of the phenomena, like globalization or the development of new technologies which are deeply changing the rules of the game. Those who are responsible for the communication among the Salesians, Jesuits and Conventual Franciscans also shared their experiences and the emphasized that none of their congregations and Orders had not had an initiative similar to this of the Augustinian Recollects, an initiative that seeks for global communication with its inherent local adaptations.
Dialogue
The true task started with the exposition of strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in matter of communication which each of the responsible persons of the Order in this matter shared with the rest. The dialogue about the future plan of global communication with local adaptations, the urgency of approving the manual of corporative identity, the need for an on-going formation in communication, the attention to social networks, as well as the open discussion on the appointment of translators, as well as the debate around the organizational chart of operation are some of the issues which, in short, will be keeping the members of this new Office of Communication busy which, taking advantage of new technologies – are already linked and working in the revitalization of the Order.