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Wednesday May 6, 2020 marked a historic step in the life of the Social Communications Commission in the Diocese of Oyo as the Bishop Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo summoned the top Members of the Commission to an evaluation meeting in the hall of the Diocesan headquarters. The meeting started at 11:00am with representatives from the 5 Deaneries of the Diocese, Such a meeting in such a manner, was the first of its kind, convoked, as it turned out to ensure that the Communications Commission work more in harmony with the recently launched 10-year Pastoral plan of the diocese.

Invoking the SWOT principle, the Bishop called for the evaluation of the activities and programmes of pastoral communication in the Diocese as a springboard for composing future plans. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Commission were brought to the limelight and analyzed. The Commission was evaluated both ad intra and ad extra and adjudged to have done well in the electronic media, especially in the live streaming of the pastoral activities, live programmes on Facebook e.g. and the airing of the Masses, especially to aid the participation of the faithful during the Corona Virus pandemic period. The online Youth Webinar, the Faith Exchange Series, Marriage and Family Life and Lenten programmes on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Lumen Christi Television, broadcasts of pastoral initiatives and creative initiatives at these tough times of the pandemic of COVID-19 were also commended etc. How to sustain these initiatives and do even better formed the chunk of the exchange at the meeting.

All those present were challenged to develop a better approach to collaboration, regularly updating of the Diocesan Website (www.catholicdioceseoyo.org) with pastoral news, reports, photographs interviews. Much was discussed about the revival of effort on the print media – particularly the diocesan Newsletter, photo documentation, news gathering, training and formation of communication agents and general capacity building for different segments of the faithful on pastoral communication awareness and participation. The Bishop insisted much on a greater use of the interview format in order to harvest the experience and views of many icons and elders who have contributed to the growth of Oyo Diocese in different areas

At the end of the meeting, all present resolved not only to have eyes and ears for news, but more importantly, to develop even the instinct for news. The concluding resolutions included the immediate revival of the Diocesan Newsletter and giving more attention to capacity building of the faithful in the deaneries and parishes in a decentralized format which will ease the work of the Director of Communications. All present also resolved to generate more suitable content for the Lumen Christi Satellite Television which has shown commendable interest in broadcasting programmes from Oyo Diocese. The diocese was commended for investing funds in the communication apostolate more than in the past, a fact that has made a lot of difference in the apostolate.

Present at the meeting were Frs Michael Falade (the former Director of Social Communications Commission), Martin Badejo, Lawrence Oke, Benjamin Jolasun, Joshua Benedict, Sr. Eunice Ikufisile, OSF (the Director of Social Communications Commission) and Sr. Bridget Monehin, SSL. All departed at the end of the meeting with renewed enthusiasm and commitment to put all hands-on-deck, each one having been saddled with a particular task to perform in order to realize the terms of the Diocesan Pastoral plan.

Fr. Benjamin Jolasun
Pastoral Secretary
Catholic Diocese of Oyo
Nigeria