1.) Mission
of the Vicariate: The Vicariate of Communications is first and
foremost a means of giving a voice to the Reformed Catholic Church. Our
mission is to provide the means of internal and external communication
within the RCC and to be of assistance to the overall mission of the
Church. This includes the following in order of importance:
a.)
In-house communications
between the Council of Bishops and the ordained membership of this Church.
“Locked” communications is a primary intention of the E-Server upgrade and
is the key to connecting the voice of the governing body of the RCC with
every ordained member; ensuring that we are all on the same page and that
every clergy is informed of important ongoing developments in the
International Church.
b.) External
Communications: We are growing
at an unprecedented rate as a denomination; undoubtedly we will require
greater action within the Vicariate (the voice of a Global Church) than
ever before. In light of recent increased developments, the voice of the
Church will need to be heard louder and more clearly than ever in the
history of the RCC, literally across the globe.
The Vicariate continues to provide a
“voice” in every possible media, from the powerful international online
communication tools to the local parish media kit. These resources work
together for the greater good of the Church and provide clarity for the
many questions we receive on a daily basis in addition to what we project
as an increasingly massive series of questions from external religious and
non-partisan PR agencies with an interest in the Reformed Catholic Church.
2.) Requests
of the Vicariate of Communications:
“Here we grow
again,” was a statement of 2007, “here we go – GLOBAL – again,”
is the clear call of 2008 and every member of this Church
will need to be on board in order for growth at the Global level to
continue in a way that stabilizes and lends credibility to the Church. On
this note the following are issues of concern to the Vicariate presently:
a.
The RCC Website:
The website for the Reformed Catholic Church is receiving more hits than
ever before as a result of recent global and national developments. What
this means for the Vicariate is that up to date material especially coming
from all clergy members is no longer a future goal but is an
IMMEDIATE NECESSITY.
b.
Press Releases and Articles:
The Vicariate will gladly assist those contributing to the Pax Press
through editing and posting of their voices. The role of the office of the
Episcopate is clearly bestowed upon those entrusted with shepherding the
church, specifically in the roles of defending her teachings and preaching
the Gospel publicly and utilizing a variety of media to clarify the “Good
News” of the RCC. We have a bold message to preach; in the words of
Our Lord, “unto the ends of the Earth,” and this message
has been specifically entrusted to our clergy to proclaim, clarify
and amplify. The RCC is growing into what is clearly a radical
movement of the Holy Spirit, and it is the Spirit who calls each of us to
action now!
c. )
A final note: The Vicariate
continues to extend itself toward the processes of refining the written
work of every article, those written by bishops, clergy and laity alike in
a manner that is fitting to public release; but we must have
material to work with.
In Closing, as a
Vicariate, we make ourselves available to you, the leaders and Shepherds
of our Church, through internal innovations in communication, the RCC
IM chat service,
new E-mail system upgrade.
The objective of the E-Server is to allow a
current update directory, the ability to share files and information,
calendars that can be made available to others, to promote the unification
of the denomination by using the RCC E-mail name, as well as inter office
memo system.
These resources are meant to facilitate
internal communications as well as working with you in refining
drafts for public release in a way that you can be assured will read to
the public, in the spirit of your own words that has been fully proofread
for grammar and content.
Through our
collective efforts we will achieve our mission of delivering “the good
news” through communication with our Sisters and Brothers all over
the world who come knocking on the door of a Family in Faith
grounded in our promise, the promise from our genesis
to be a living response to the needs of the least among us. It is
time, my fellow clergy, that we celebrate together the spiritual home
whose essence speaks across the globe and works together in being able to
continue to minister in the name of the God whose words, etched upon each
of our hearts, echoes with greater power everyday in communicating:
All are Welcome!
I ask foremost for
your prayers for the Vicariate in the communication of this Message; and I
thank each of you, in advance, for your leadership in meeting the needs of
God’s People.
Marcis Heckman RSJ
Vicar of Communications
