Jesuit Communicators Meet at Belen Jesuit
The perfect combination of prayer and communication was in full force at the Jesuit Communications Conference held at Belen Jesuit March 7 – 10.
Led by Belen Jesuit's Director of Communications Teresa Martinez, the conference brought together more than 30 communications professionals from Jesuit schools across the United States.
Presentations covered topics of interest and importance specific to the communications industry and to Jesuit education. Martinez accessed her extensive network and offered workshops on Media Relations, Branding, Social Media and Crisis Communications. Roundtable discussions were held, allowing participants to share best practices in web design, current trends in annual reports and magazines, and the burgeoning need to market Jesuit high schools.
"This conference was a melting pot of ideas, which stoked so many thoughts in my mind,” says Connor Walters, Communications Coordinator: Mission at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio. “There are so many brilliant methods, approaches and tools that everyone is using. With every conversation I came away thinking, 'Wow, that's pretty amazing. Maybe we could try that at my school.' It was a tremendous learning experience."
Like most Jesuit gatherings, there were ample opportunities to socialize. The group gathered for a Miami Heat game one night, toured the Wynwood Arts District another, and shared some delicious Cuban food at a local restaurant. Belen’s President, Fr. Guillermo García-Tuñón, SJ, celebrated Mass, so there was the chance for all to come together in their shared faith. A tour of campus and a performance by the Belen Jazz Ensemble rounded out the conference.
This was the second time this group has assembled. Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland hosted the first Jesuit Communications Conference in June 2014.
“I would like to see this conference become a regular, ongoing event,” says Martinez. “When we gather as a community, we are able to share the challenges and opportunities specific to our profession which is very helpful. Plus, true friendships have been developed and that is a grace. It really was a valuable experience."
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.