Sunday, 18 October 2009
16:30 - 18:30
Empress Grand Hall, 3rd Floor, ECC

Theology of communications

This presentation will focus on the insights regarding communication which can be drawn from the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, one of the four pivotal documents of the renewal initiated by Vatican II. If God founds and inspires human action, then God’s manner of communicating in and through Jesus as the Word is the Church’s exemplar for communicating. The presentation will spell out the what, why, when and how of divine communication in which the Church is to take inspiration and guidance for carrying out its mission of communication today.

Speaker: Prof. José M. de Mesa
Prof. José M. de Mesa is a married Filipino lay theologian and a member of the ecumenical and inter-faith network, the Asian Communication Network (ACN). A holder of an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Jose is also a University Fellow at De La Salle University and a professor of Applied Systematic Theology at the Inter-Congregational Theological Center as well as a visiting professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is co-author of Doing Theology and Doing Christology and author of several books such as In Solidarity with the Culture, Marriage is Discipleship and Bakas: Retrieving the Sense of Sacramentality of the Ordinary (2008).

Perspectives on Children and Media for a Culture of Peace

Three perspectives on the relationship between children and media in different countries in Asia: India (Rappai Poothokaren, SJ); South East Asia, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Fr Boedi Prasetijo) and Japan (Tsuneaki Paul (“Mac”) Machida).

India: Rappai Poothokaren, S.J.
Children are a very vulnerable segment of society. They are not able to claim and defend their rights. One expects the parents and society to take care of their children’s rights. But all too often the poor sections of society are unable to do so. So the rights of their children are often denied. All children are born with peace in their hearts. But many grow up in environments that diminish or even destroy peace. Let us examine the factors that diminish or destroy peace in the hearts of children in India.

South East Asia: Fr. Boedi Prasetijo
The South East Asian Perspective on Children and Media for a Culture of Peace started from Cambodia. The last SIGNIS Asia Assembly in Phnom Penh gave a panorama for the theme, not only in discussions and video presentation, but also in dance performances and visits around Cambodia. This presentation shows the relationship between children and the media in Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Japan: Tsuneaki Paul (“Mac”) Machida
After WWII the Japanese rebuilt Japan becoming economically successful. However, this changed society from spiritualistic to materialistic. This has caused many broken families, murders, suicides, and undisciplined children. But there are always people who try their best to put love for our neighbours first for the cause of humanity and for peace. He will share examples that help us to see the Japanese people as neighbours, who share the common goal of working together for the realization of a better world.

Speaker: Rappai Poothokaren, S.J.
Rappai Poothokaren, S.J. is President of SIGNIS India and was Director of Gurjarvani, Xavier Centre for Culture and Communication, Ahmedabad from 1991-2008. He has produced Video Documentaries and Docu-dramas for Education, Environment awareness, Human Development, Gender Issues, Adivasi culture and identity and Faith Formation.


Speaker: Fr. Boedi Prasetijo
Fr. Boedi Prasetijo is a diocesan priest of Surabaya Diocese, East Java, Indonesia. He finished his M.A. Theology of Social/Pastoral Communication at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, October 2003. He is parish priest of Redemptor Mundi Church in Surabaya and chairman of the Diocesan Commission on Social Communication. He is the President of SIGNIS Indonesia.

Speaker: Tsuneaki Paul Machida
Born into a Buddhist family, at 21, he was baptized a Catholic at Sophia University, Tokyo. He worked for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and its auto parts manufacturing and trading subsidiaries for 42 years, including 8.5 years in Detroit, U.S.A. He joined SIGNIS Japan in 2006, and is now its Secretary.