Since its inception in 2012, the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan has strived to excel in the field of media. It has demonstrated flexibility and capability to act efficiently and ardently under difficult circumstances to fully perform its message in conveying valid and useful information that serves love, peace, harmony, and common living.
With the launch of its English and Arabic language websites (en.abouna.org and abouna.org) in addition to its facebook sites in both languages, the intention was directed towards inviting the highest number of people to view these sites on regular bases. The latest relevant studies indicate that hundreds of thousands of people view these sites on daily bases, which has been a source of encouragement.
With the emergence of Corona pandemic and the imposed lockdowns which were designed to curtail the spread of the disease, the CCSM embarked on a fruitful plan to live-stream Rosary prayers and Holy Masses celebrated in various parts of the Holy Land. The duty undertaken by the CCSM was intended to transmit the good news of the Holy Bible to the homes of people particularly during days in which lockdowns were observed. The CCSM raised the slogan which became familiar to people, namely “My Home is My Church”. Tens of thousands of people became regular followers on daily bases of the daily transmitted Holy Masses with focus on the Sunday Masses, the Holy Rosary, and the catechisms presented by bishops and pastoral officials.
This measure was very successful as it made up for the temporary closure of Churches and the inability of people to attend Holy Masses. So, people prayed at homes and turned their homes into small churches. This measure boosted the morale of Christians and enabled them to restore their firm ties with Lord Jesus through live-streamed prayers.
THE CCSM VISITS HOMES OF CHRISTIAN FAMILIES
At a time when the CCSM invited people to check its websites, it also made enormous effort designed to visit Christian families in their homes and discuss with them their life affairs and issues relevant to religious affairs.
So in early 2021, the CCSM arranged to streamline 24 episodes reflecting on families of a program marking the 5th anniversary of the apostolic exhortationtitled “Amoris Laetitia” (the Joy of Love) Program which will run over the whole year. The program is designed to visit Christian families in Jordan to know how it is possible to let them experience joy, and how it is possible to experience social events from a spiritual aspect.
The program focuses on how Christian families mark the sacraments and how to get ready for that, in addition to show hoe it is suitable to consolidate the relationship among families on the one hand and with the Church on the other.There are many Christian families who live a life of holiness which needs to be presented live on CCSM websites so as to serve as an encouragement and a model to be emulated.
The first three episodes of the program dealt with the Feast of the Annunciation, the Way of the Cross, and the Holy Week with visits paid respectively to the families of Deacon Yousef Fattal in Amman, Samer Khoury in Zarqa and Shadi Zawaydeh in Anjara. Further episodes are under way covering various aspects of Christian life.
The CCSM is an untold story of success. With a handful of members of staff, it has outshined several media centers worldwide. It crossed all borders and visited innumerable homes worldwide thus becoming one of the main reliable centers that conveys a sound image of media based on true judgment, as well as news items and articles that disseminate love, equality, common living and loyalty to the homeland.
The CCSM--represented by its director Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader and staff members--has always expressed permanent readiness to focus on issues of concern to humanity, commensurate with its slogan, “Media for Humanity through the Culture of Encounter”. It has been active at the Jordanian and global levels by playing an indispensable role of taking the initiative to concentrate on various issues of interest, among which are religious freedom, the moral religious view of several issues, as well as the school curricula and their role in promoting harmony.
The CCSM, which has been shining a bright image at bleak times, will continue its sublime message through the support and love it has been acquiring all the time.
