.- A Catholic media conference to be held this spring will consider the future of the Catholic Church and of Catholic publishing and communications, under the theme Sounds of the Future.
The 2006 Catholic Media Convocation, co-sponsored by the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy, will be held at Nashville’s Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, May 24-26.
Major presenters include: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, who will speak on Catholicism in the American pluralistic experience; Sr. Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, who will address Catholic-provided health care; Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of the military ordinariate will talk about the review of American seminaries; and Msgr. Francis Maniscalco, secretary for communications of the USCCB, will speak on Catholic media today and projections for the future.
Archbishop John Foley, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will address Catholic News Service subscribers at a breakfast and will celebrate the Catholic Press Association’s Annual Memorial Mass on May 25.
Pre-convention focus seminars on Wednesday morning, May 24, will center on advertising, the Internet, intellectual property concerns, magazine design, photography, and reporting, and issues in the Church and society.
The program will also include Hispanic and immigrant issues and a critical review of the film “Breaking the Da Vinci Code.” Attention will be given to diocesan publications, magazines, national publications, and books. Seminars will discuss writing news stories, features, and columns; photography; design of small newspapers; advertising; managing personnel and bookkeeping for smaller publications; resources, and other topics.
The CPA Awards Banquet will be held on the Friday evening.
The Loews Vanderbilt Hotel is located across the street from the Cathedral of the Incarnation, where all liturgies will be celebrated.
