THE ARCHDIOCESE OF AGANA CHANCERY OFFICE 196B Cuesta San Ramon Hagta, Guam 96910-4334 Tel: (671) 472-6116, (671) 562-0000 Fax: (671) 477-3519

Dear Pastors, Rector, Parochial Administrators and All Clergy: As part of World Communication Day which the Church celebrated May 17 and the Archdioceses annual Catholic Communication Month May 17 to June 21, the Archbishop has designated the second collection of all Sunday Masses May 31, June 7 and June 14 to go toward assisting the Office of Communication in its work with our Catholic newspaper, the Umatuna Si Yuos, Catholic radio KOLG 90.9 FM and Catholic TV. Kindly announce this at your Masses and please support the annual communication collection. Communication workshops on writing, videography, and Social Media will also continue in June and are open to all parishioners, at no charge. Please see the Archbishops Annual Communication Message below. /s/Fr. Adrian Cristobal Chancellor

Archbishops 2015 Catholic Communication Message

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the peace and love of Jesus Christ be with you always! Today, Sunday, May 17, the Catholic Church celebrates the 49th World Communications Day.

One can say it is very much a family celebration because in advance of next Octobers Synod on the Family, Pope Francis has beautifully and appropriately chosen to highlight the vital role the family has in communication in his annual World Communications Day Message.

With the theme, Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love, Pope Francis reminds us that it is in our families that each of us first learned to interact and communicate.

Even after we have come into the world, in some sense we are still in a womb, which is the family, the pope says in his message.

Calling family a womb made up of various interrelated persons, the Holy Father points out that the family is where we learn to live with others despite our differences (Evangelii Gaudium, 66). Notwithstanding the differences of gender and age between them, family members accept one another because there is a bond between them. The wider the range of these relationships and the greater the differences of age, the richer will be our living environment. Pope Francis wisdom ever grounded in the Holy Spirit continues to inspire the Faithful while stirring even the attention of the faithless as well the fallen away. As the family of God, the children of our beloved Creator, all of us are called to understand, appreciate and nurture the abundant graces that Our Loving Father has given to us in this world. The gift of communication and the gift of the family are two of those immense blessings. We must protect both! In this years message, one sees how the pope is sharing a moment of catechesis. In the midst of the secular worlds misguided chase to redefine marriage in the name of love and

2

equality for all, Pope Francis reminds us of a fundamental truth: that God our Creator created man and woman to share in his gift of pro-creation.

In the family we realize that others have preceded us, they made it possible for us to exist and in our turn to generate life and to do something good and beautiful, the pope says. We can give because we have received. This virtuous circle is at the heart of the familys ability to communicate among its members and with others. More generally, it is the model for all communication.

Pope Francis also tells us that the family is the setting in which the most basic form of communication, which is prayer, is handed down.

Prayer is at the heart of who we are. And prayer which is dialogue, really will help us during all our storms, hardships, trials and recovery. I ask all Faithful of our Church on Guam to remain strong in prayer. You have my prayers and I humbly ask for yours, as well.

Despite any conflicts, controversies, difficulties, or divisions which befall us as a Church, an island or within our own smaller families, I pray that we remain steadfast in our trust in God.

As we celebrate World Communication Day today and Catholic Communication Month May 17 to June 21, I take this opportunity thank all the men, women, boys and girls who, in one way or the other, contribute to the Church in the area of communication. Perhaps it is faithfully managing and updating your parish or school websites. Maybe it is as a volunteer who composes your parish bulletins or takes photographs for your schools, parishes or organizations. Most assuredly, gratitude must be extended to the many individuals who contribute stories and photographs to our Catholic newspaper, the Umatuna Si Yuos, or who help our Catholic radio station, KOLG 90.9 FM and Catholics on the Move television.

I thank the professionals and employees who devote themselves to spreading the good news of the Gospel through our Catholic newspaper, radio and TV apostolates. Sincere gratitude goes to the hardworking professionals of our commercial publishing, electronic and digital media agencies, as well. May Our Lord bless you and aid you in your work. Second collection for Catholic Communication May 31, June 7, June 14

Finally, I ask everyones support once again of our annual Catholic Communication Month collections. I have designated the second collection at all Sunday Masses from May 31 through June 14 (three Sundays) to go toward helping our Office of Communication in its work with Catholic radio, television, the Internet and most especially the Umatuna Si Yuos.

Already starting in April, the Office of Communication and Umatuna have conducted workshops on a wide variety of Catholic communication topics, which will continue through June. They are free of charge and open to everyone!

In the spirit of recognizing there is much to learn, much to share and much to improve upon, the archdiocese embraces World Communications Day and Catholic Communication Month.

May the Lord bless each of us as we strive to communicate only peace, love and mercy to one another. In all we say and do, let God be our guide and role model.

The joy and love of Christ be with you! /s/Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap., D.D. Metropolitan Archbishop of Agana May 17, 2015