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WASHINGTON (April 25, 2007)-- The annual collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will take place in parishes across the country the weekend of May 19-20.
Funding provided by donations of generous Catholics is used to support an array of multimedia projects developed by the CCC, an activity of the U.S. bishops that promotes Gospel values through network television specials, radio programs, movie reviews and original Internet content.
Building on the popularity of the daily Mass readings featured on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops web site, for example, the CCC now offers audio readings that can be downloaded through iTunes, Podcast Alley and other sources. Daily reflections can be viewed via streaming at www.ccc-tv.org
For the second year in a row, a popular series of six Lenten radio retreats was offered by the CCC in association with Franciscan Radio. Available in English and Spanish, the Lenten radio retreats featured a bishop as retreat guide and homilist. The programs were distributed to radio stations across the country and are available in downloadable formats at www.radioretreat.org
Radio programming offered by the CCC also includes Catholic Radio Weekly, Lino At Large, American Catholic Radio and Tú Compa?ero Católico, a Spanish language program that offers spiritual topics and news of special interest for Hispanic families. The CCC also supports the work of the U.S. bishops' Office of Film and Broadcasting, which provides movie and television reviews published in diocesan papers across the country.
Television specials and documentaries funded by the CCC continue to offer quality spiritual and cultural programs. Since its release last December, "Picturing Mary," a documentary that chronicles how the image of the Madonna has inspired artists throughout the centuries, has aired on 270 public television stations. Other documentaries funded by the CCC that appeared on public television include "Lives for Sale," a powerful exposé of the painful and rarely seen human side of undocumented immigration and "Sisters of Selma: Witness to Change," a look at how a group of nuns from St. Louis, Missouri traveled to Selma, Alabama and stood in solidarity with African Americans during the civil rights movement.
In June, the CCC will release to NBC stations "Faith Works: Across the USA," a look at the many ways people put their faith into action across the country. A series of public service announcements (PSA) promoting the benefits of healthy marriages as part of the bishops' National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage will also be released in June. "Divining the Human: The Tapestries of John Nava", an exploration of the innovative creation of the tapestries of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, will be released to ABC television stations by the CCC in September.
"These profoundly moving and artistic productions would not be possible without the tremendous support of Catholic parishioners who contribute to the CCC collection," said Ellen McCloskey, the director of production for the CCC. "We look forward to another year of quality programming and will continue to develop our new media capabilities so we can reach an even broader audience."
Catholic bishops in the U.S. have designated the third Sunday of May for the CCC collection to coincide with World Communications Day. Pope Benedict XVI has chosen "Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education," as this year's theme.
For more information about projects of the Catholic Communication Campaign, please visit www.usccb.org/ccc/.