“The pastors of the Church, using a right proper to the Church in fulfilling their function, are to endeavour to make use of the instruments of social communication.” (Canon 822.1)

The Director of Communications is Fr John Flynn. Fr Flynn has the responsibility for the Diocesan Communications Office, which plays a role in communicating the message of the Gospel on various fronts.

This is especially important in the technological age, where speed and facility of communication is all-important.

There are four main areas of responsibility in the Communications Office:

1. Reacting to news events
When news arises that is seen by the local, regional or national media as important for the Church, the communications officer is often contacted.

The first task is usually to write a statement. Usually written in conjunction with the Bishop and others who are involved with the story, the statement is intended to get across to the media in as transparent a way as possible the main issues at stake. If there are big events, then a series of statements will be written as the story unfolds.

2. Proactively seeking the media
Sometimes there will be an event in the diocese that is worth advertising to the media. The Communications Officer will then write a brief press release to inform the media of the event.

3. Enabling communication between diocesan personnel and the wider community
The Communications Office can act as a kind of 'channel' for passing news between various organs within the diocese and between those organs and the wider community, whether regionally, nationally or internationally.

4. Maintaining the diocesan website
The diocesan website is the responsibility of the Communications Officer. He is always looking out for newsworthy items, so if you would like to advertise something, or even write a piece for the website, please get in touch.