New Office for FABC-Office of Social Communications Blessed at Radio Veritas Asia Campus

A new office for the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office of Social Communications (FABC-OSC) was blessed on September 12 at the Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) campus in Quezon City, Philippines, providing a new base for the Office’s communications ministry across Asia.

Bishop Marcelino Antonio “Junie” Maralit Jr., chairman of the FABC-OSC, led the blessing ceremony at St. Joseph’s Building on the RVA campus, on the sidelines of the First Asian Catholic Digital Missionary Assembly, being held September 10–13.

Following the blessing, Bishop Maralit expressed hope that the new office would help strengthen and expand the ministry of the FABC-OSC as the Church responds to a rapidly changing communications landscape.

Church leaders and communications officials attended the blessing, including Archbishop Ryan Jimenez of Agaña, Guam, and member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication; Natasha Govekar, director of the Theological-Pastoral Department of the same dicastery; and other FABC-OSC and RVA personnel.

Fr. John Mi Shen, executive secretary of the FABC-OSC and program director of RVA, described the new office as an important step in strengthening the Office’s work and collaboration across Asia.

“This office gives us a place where we can work together more closely, coordinate our initiatives and better serve the communications ministry of the Church in Asia,” Fr. John said after the blessing.

Fr Felmar Fiel, SVD, RVA General Manager, expressed happiness at the establishment of the office as it comes when RVA and FABC-OSC seek to strengthen communication collaboration among the Catholic Church’s local Churches across Asia.

Michael Unland, Executive Director of CAMECO, Germany, congratulated the FABC Office for Social Communication on its new office.

“May this be a fruitful place, filled with creativity, innovation and encounters,” he said, recalling his own stays at St. Joseph’s Center during visits to RVA. He hoped the office would provide “a welcoming space and a home for fruitful ideas, innovation and collaboration.”

Unland also recalled his predecessor at CAMECO, Fr. Franz-Josef Eilers, who conducted many trainings at the center and helped bring the place to life.

He wished the FABC OSC every success, praying that the new office would serve the Church’s mission and become a place where communication, collaboration and mission can flourish.

The blessing also took place during the First Asian Catholic Digital Missionary Assembly, which has brought together more than 100 Catholic digital missionaries, communicators, content creators and faith influencers from across Asia.

The September 10–13 assembly, organized by FABC-OSC and RVA in partnership with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication through the Fully Present Network, carries the theme “Influencers to Witnesses: Synodal Way for Digital Mission in Asia.”

The gathering seeks to encourage Asian Catholic communicators to move beyond the role of online influencers toward a missionary presence rooted in witness, communion, accompaniment and collaboration.

Archbishop Ryan Jimenez, who attended the second day of the assembly, also spoke about his recent appointment to the Vatican Dicastery for Communication. He expressed his desire to contribute to the Church’s communications mission as part of what he described as the Asian-Pacific voice within the Vatican.

His participation in the blessing underscored the growing importance of communication ministry across the wider Asia-Pacific region, where Catholic communities face diverse linguistic, cultural and social realities.

For the FABC-OSC, the new office provides a concrete base for coordinating that ministry and supporting the Church’s continuing effort to communicate the Gospel through traditional media, digital platforms and emerging forms of digital mission.