Evangelising the Youth through the Mass Media: A Case Study of Our Lady Queen Parish-Karen
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Date
2002-02
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Tangaza University College.
Abstract
Is it possible for us to use the mass media to evangelize the youth? We shall find out in
this essay. The third millennium has witnessed an enormous technological advancement in the
field of mass communication. The world has become standardized by the mass media. What
makes this possible is the reduced distances in communication, thanks to the satellite
technology. We can instantly know what is happening in USA while we are in Kenya just by a
click of a button. On the world communication day, Pope Paul VI addressed the possible use
of media by the youth saying, "it is clear to everyone that there is an immense responsibility on
the part of all, before history, to put to good account the extraordinary opportunities offered by
the communications media to help young people to inform and form themselves, to bring out
the real problems of the world, to seek the authentic values of life and to live up to their calling
as individual persons and Christians." Surely, "we live in a bewildering world which is
moving faster and faster. The mass media in Nairobi all compete for the hearts and minds of
people. The church must master the media and use them in ways that are even more impressive
than the way the world uses them."
2 Moreover, "these days it is the media of social
communications that provide new sources of knowledge and culture with their considerable
power of moving men's feelings and minds, together with the train of ideas and stirrings of the
imagination carried by the sounds and sights they transmit." The church cannot close her eyes to such a tremendous development. Within the limits
of her ability, the church should try to tap these 'powerful' means of communication and use
them in her evangelizing mission. Needless to say, this tapping is not as easy as it sounds here. For the church to be able to use the means of social communication for evangelization, a lot of
work has to be done.
This essay ventures into the work of opening avenues for the church to use the mass
media in evangelizing the youth. The essay is divided into five chapters. In chapter one, we examine evangelization.
Chapter two introduces us to the world of mass media while chapter three deals with the
research methodology. Chapter four gives the analysis and the interpretation of the data
collected from the research. The final chapter offers some proposals and a general conclusion
on the work.
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Keywords
Evangelization, Parish, Mass media, Vatican, Ecclesia