The Catholic Media Center (CMC) was established at the beginning of 2001. Our principal aim was to provide the widest possible coverage of the life of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine through active cooperation with secular media. At that time, the CMC organised press conferences in preparation for the pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to Ukraine on 23–27 June 2001. It also assisted secular media in obtaining and preparing materials concerning the Catholic Church, the Holy See and Pope John Paul II. Throughout the CMC’s history, we have sought to help secular media report accurately on important events in the Catholic Church, including the changes on the Chair of Peter in 2005 and 2013. In covering other aspects of Church life, we focused on news from the Catholic world through our website and email newsletter. Other Catholic projects also operated under the auspices of the CMC, including “Tvii Zhurnal” (now “Vodohray”) and Radio Credo. The CMC also helped establish new Catholic media: Radio Maria and EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network—direct fruits of the CMC’s active work. We also thank God for the printed word: the children’s magazine “Vodohray,” whose principal purpose is to foster basic moral and spiritual values in children and present the foundations of Christian life. By letter No. 14/18-2978 of 27 July 2009, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine recommended “Vodohray” for Ukrainian schools.
Through the Catholic Media Center’s website, we maintain the Catholic Church’s presence online and support various media initiatives, particularly by: 1) announcing and covering important events in the life of the Church in Ukraine, including congresses, conferences, academic meetings, festivals and other events; 2) organising press conferences; 3) helping journalists establish contact with competent Church representatives and preparing theological articles commissioned by other media outlets.
The CMC has assumed full responsibility for organising and arranging Ukrainian television broadcasts of liturgical celebrations from the Vatican at Christmas and Easter. It provides commentators and Church consultants for interviews and for secular television and radio programmes. The Catholic Media Center coordinates cooperation among dioceses in the field of media. It also produces its own informational content, including video, audio, printed educational materials, websites and more.
Our mission is also to help media professionals place Jesus at the centre of their lives and work, and to pray continually for media workers and Christian media, so that they may serve truth and the good of society. We greatly need everyone’s support and prayers so that we may continue to bear fruit through initiatives and work for the good of the Church. What has taken place, and continues to take place, through the ministry of the Catholic Media Center is not merely the result of considerable human effort and dedicated work, often late into the night; it is above all God’s grace, to which the CMC’s staff have opened themselves. Like the servants at Cana in Galilee, we want to do whatever the Son of God tells us (Jn 2:5).
OUR PROJECTS: announcing and covering important events in the life of the Church in Ukraine—congresses, conferences, academic meetings, festivals and other events; organising press conferences; helping establish contact with competent Church representatives; cooperating with Ukrainian information centres; producing religious television and audio content; covering social issues raised by civic, municipal, national and international organisations in Ukraine; writing theological articles commissioned by other media; cooperating with local television and radio stations on joint projects covering the life of the Catholic Church.