The week of workshops and panel discussions of the First International Meeting for the Communication of Religious Life concluded yesterday with the event "Communicating Religious Life: Towards the Future."

Opening the meeting, along with Patrizia Morgante, Coordinator of the UISG project "Communicating Religious Life," was Sr. Mary Barron, OLA, President of UISG, who emphasized the importance of wisdom and synodality in communicating religious life, listening, learning from each other and allowing ourselves to be converted.

Speakers at the event, which was held in presence and online, with the aim of presenting quantitative and qualitative data from the research that the UISG Office of Communication conducted during the year 2023 on a sample of about 300 women's religious congregations were:

• Br. Louie Guades III, CMF, President of MultiMedia International (MMI), who greeted the participants and explained the work of "helping religious to effectively use media in mission."
• Leticia Soberón, of iMisión, who spoke about the "promise of multiplying the voices that speak of God's love" during the event "Communicating Religious Life: Toward the Future."
• Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, who invited the Church's communicators to carry out the mission "not by burying talents," continuing to manifest all the love to which each one is called.

Br Jeffrey, an influencer from the Philippines, invited the participants not to be afraid and called for dialogue "with the many people who need the gifts our congregations have to offer" even though "digital communication is difficult, it is a calling" and Mariella, a young Catholic influencer from Italy, invited them not to condemn, especially young people, for their use of the Internet and social media but to understand and give the Church's evangelising mission new perspectives.

Sr. Patricia Murray, IBVM, Executive Secretary of the UISG, then concluded the event by thanking all those who had worked on the international meeting encouraging communication: "I am really excited to be trained in this digital world, we need a new heart and a new soul."

• Photo gallery of the event
• Final Declaration of the First International Meeting for the Communication of Religious Life "Together for Effective Digital and Evangelical Communication: a commitment for the coming years"