By Vernon Khelawan

In the month of March, readers of the Catholic News will have a chance to support Catholic communications in our Archdiocese and win a trip to Rome.

Catholic Media Services Ltd (Camsel) is collaborating with the organisers of the Pallium Pilgrimage during which Archbishop Joseph Harris will receive his pallium from Pope Benedict XVI at a special ceremony at St Peter’s. (The pallium is a woolen band worn on the shoulders over the vestments of a metropolitan archbishop, as a sign of his jurisdiction in his ecclesiastical province. The Pope usually confers the pallium on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul - June 29 - in Rome.)

For three Sundays – March 11, 18 and 25 – a coupon will be published in the Catholic News, which will serve as a raffle ticket. Participants will be required to fill out the coupon and drop it either in a special box at parish churches or at the Camsel office at 31 Independence Square, Port of Spain. Deadline for entries to reach Camsel’s office is March 30, with the drawing carded for Sunday, April 10.

To assist Camsel directly in its vital work of Catholic communications, the cover price of the Catholic News for the three Sundays will be increased to $5.00. From April 1, the price reverts to the normal $3.00.

Following Synod 2005 Archbishop Edward Gilbert gave his blessings to have a communications arm set up in the Archdiocese. That decision saw the birth of Camsel, which began operations on July 1, 2008. Since that time Camsel has been involved in a wide range of communication projects all aimed at profiling in a positive way the work of the Church in the Archdiocese. Catholic News remains the major income earner for Camsel and the work of Catholic communications in general.

We are sure that Catholics all want to see continuing improvement in Archdiocesan communications and will therefore support this venture wholeheartedly.