CLARETIAN PUBLISHERS’ TRIENNIAL ENCOUNTER BENGALURU, INDIA 2018 - DAY 3

12/13.02.2018

Days 3

Fr Marcellinus from West Nigeria led us in the Morning Prayers

I session

Fr. Henry, as usual, began the session with a prayer.

Fr. Josep Maria Abella, immediate past Father General, addressed the conference via Skype from Osaka Japan.

He went through the memory lane and recounted thev1st Claretian Publishers’ meeting in 1992. Based on his long experience in animating publishing ministry he made the following reflections:

From the first meeting emerged the ideas:

Sharing to become aware of what we have in the Congregation, make us connected
Collaboration, looking for network to create, to reinforce the ministry
Supporting the beginners

Initiate Book fair of Frankfurt
Mission statement and vision meant to clarify the purpose and mission.
Management criteria and basic norms.
Directory of Claretian Editors: It is the result of long discernment and in tune with our charism. All who work in the publication need to be aware of this and familiar with it.
There were new initiative in the provinces, but without much coordination. Lack of wider vision affect the future but coordination makes us more effective.
Analyse the needs of the local church and get in touch with what exists already and the area of publication for proper discernment to proceed in the ministry.

Then he came to his reflection based on the question: What do we want to communicate? Area of our attention and focus in our publishing ministry. He made the following points:

Word of God
Prophetic formation of the laity (not merely devotional, but empowering and transforming)
Religious Life (service to CL, to make it more missionary)
Dialogue with culture and Cultures (address the needs of the people where we work)
Popular (not superficial) reach the people, poor

In this context it is good to evaluate the publishing the last three years to criteria of publishing

Expected Fruit of the efforts organizing Claretian Publishing Houses

Common project: Do not create kings in publishing houses; then their kingdom becomes inaccessible. They are part of or under the Province/Delegation.
Transparency: in the planning and accounting, and in abiding by the law of the country/congregation
A clear plan: yearly, mid-term, long term plans
Commissions: Need committees like publishing committee, financial committee to plan and evaluate; to control especially the economy, not depending on one person.
Relationship with the employees: Need to be humble, not more than what is necessary
Collaboration: in different levels;

In the provincial level – collaborate with school, parishes and other ministries of the province.
Interprovincial level: To share with other publishing houses and to empower one another.
Congregational level – e.g. common logo to make us known in the Church and find our identity.
Collaboration with local church (bishops, other congregations, apostolic groups).
Collaboration in what we publish like Bible Diaries and books.

Final suggestions from Fr. Abella

Learn not to be knowing everything
Keep in mind clearly our purpose that is evangelization (not solely to make money) All should keep in mind, Provincial Govt. all those involved
Move around and promote good relationship (personal contact) with Claretian community around and local Church.
Some publication for those not part of the Church (non-believers)

II Session Group discussion

The participants discussed based on the questions gathered from the previous input sessions.

Personal reflection

What are the ideas that have not taken wings?

Lack of clarity about publishing, lack of importance given from Province/Congregation, lack of personnel, Difficulty in having publishing materials in different areas and for different audiences, art form, idea of collaboration for common project, linguistic, regional, political differences, absence common name for unity, identifying experts in the field of publishing within and out.

What are the fears that prevent from taking off?

Lack of trained personnel, finance. Fear to move forward – fear of losses, changing mentalities of authorities Provincial/Congregational.

Group discussion

Identify the Golden Circle of your publication

Why? Evangelization/passion for God’s Word, faith as lens, social issues, to be prophetic, offering life to the full, experience of success of Claretian publishing.

How? Collaboration with other publishers, private publishing in Parishes for larger reach out, extensive use of media, Bible festivals, Bible weeks, radio-TV shows, media centre, distribution of biblical materials, mobile library, focus to succeed

What? Bible Diaries, books, films, Audio/videos, websites,

Identify the organizational structure of your Publication.

Delegation council, council of apostolate, Bible Apostolate (pastoral and publication committees), commission of communication, Board of publication, company registered under Macau under provincial govt.

Identify the areas that need reorganization and reinventing:

Update and follow the trends of technology, venture into new areas of new media, overcome fear, transparency in accounting, handing over the office, commercialization of e-books, digital media, committee handing finance

What is the focus of the publication?

Word of God, Consecrated life, popular

Identify the process/structure to take care of transparency and accountability

Lay auditors audit the accounts, bank transactions, use of advanced software, customized inventory/accounting system

What the structures for legal compliance?

Legal compliance done personally, by a person entrusted with this task, monthly uploading, trust doing the work, it differs from country to country

What are the:

Long term plans: Extension of publishing activities to many places and people, mobile library, Communication centre, formation of personnel, print Christian community Bible in Hindi, decrees deficit amount of the publishing houses, establishing a publishing house, revision of bible translation
Mid-term plans: Not very clear for many
Short term plans: Bible diaries (IN YORUBA), books, complete Chinese bible, visit Claretian houses to make them aware of publication, finish selling of diaries, complete the building for publication and equipping same

Do you have a commission of media in the province?

Yes/no, some are in the process of making it.

How many Staff? How to avoid redundancy?
How do you ensure collaboration?

In the province: animation, visits,

Interprovincial: contact with directors of publications, exchange of publishing materials, consultation, guidance, share projects and works

Local church: collaborate with Bishops, local Church leaders

How do you reach out to non-believers

Though social media, enough is not done, write/books with universal appeal, musical concerts/festivals for all.

There was a brief interaction on the planning that each publishing house need to take care. It is this meticulous planning done well in advance and in accordance with the context of the local Church, that takes any publishing successful in going forth.

III session

Panel discussion: Fr. Jijo anchored the panel discussion

Mr. Ajo: Engage in E-commerce

Mr. Bobby – writer in social media, journalist, Auditor

Mr. Shibu: Founder Ethic coders, Software company (Catholic apps)

Shibu : from print to digital world. Connects with thousands. The world is being captured, is being shared, viewed, reading. Largest continent – 4.93 billion mobile users (three out of two) desktop vs mobile is 1:4 (so website age is over, less audience), Windows finished against android/IOS. Mobile subscriptions outnumber world population.

How target/reach out this crowd?

WWJD – What would Jesus do now?

“Go and make disciples till the last of the digital” – Digital Jesus.

Mobile anti-social? Cynics say it. People string at print vs People staring at screens!! How to reach them! Print will be inadequate.

Catholic response to the new media

APPS: We all need to go digital: (Nokia, blackberry dead because refused to change! Don’t make this mistake)

POC: 5 million apps sold (free)

Today Christian Literature – like the Bible – are sold/read online even in countries that prohibit their presence and sale.

Giving best to the Lord, not the rest – best of the publication, technology, imagination

Bobby: Nature of social media! Layman’s perspective

Fleeting – what is done is here is short-lived. Every moment new posts
No monitoring- fake/real – no one knows what is fact (print is scrutinized) social media is auto controlled. Who will control? E.g., It can even decide the outcome of an election! Digital made geography disappear
New Sheep: Traditional publishing – few audiences. Digital world – to audience even you do not know. Reader’s write – two way communication
Instant feedback: Traditional method wait for a letter or for comments.

Ajo: Attention seeking in media, addictive nature of media. (Except if the community reacts no way to monitor! Even your voice can be faked). Medium changed, audience changed… still content can be the same and powerful. Google search can pop up what we advertise. Build online communities (as already exist many like mothers wanting better mother, drug addicts to liberate)

Going Facebook, twitters, cross posting
Find communities interested in our materials
Authentic, relevant, practical, solutions to problems should be contents of the post
Make it attractive, package it beautifully

IV Session

Shibu introduced to the participants some latest digital technologies that can be effective in social media campaign strategy