USCCB - Office of Communications Home Page

Committee Mandate

The committee assists the bishops, both individually and collectively, to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the communications media as “pathways to intensify communion and to render more penetrating the proclamation of his word” (John Paul II, The Rapid Development, 2005). The committee seeks to support the work of evangelization and faith formation through a comprehensive approach to media that includes media relations, media production and programming, policy, review of entertainment media, publishing, distribution, and licensing with sensitivity towards culturally diverse communities.

This mandate includes the following areas of responsibility:
Office of Media Relations; Catholic News Service; USCCB Publishing; Film and Broadcasting; Office of Digital Media; communications policy; copyright and licensing; internet content management; Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) programming; CCC grant distribution and public information; oversight of all Communications department entities.

Communications Offices

Office of the Secretary of Communications
The Office of the Secretary of Communications serves the bishops and the Bishops' Committee on Communications. The office is responsible for oversight of all the Communications department entities, communications policy, internet content management and the Catholic Communication Campaign's (CCC) programming, grant distribution and public information.
- Catholic Communication Campaign
  The Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) helps spread the Gospel message locally and nationally on radio, television, in print, and on the Internet. Through its funded projects, Catholics and all media consumers have opportunities to find Gospel-grounded messages and resources to strengthen their families and their faith.
- Film and Broadcasting
  Film and Broadcasting is responsible for reviewing and rating theatrical motion pictures, previewing and evaluating television programming as well as providing the Catholic public with information about the role of the entertainment and news media in influencing societal and personal values.
Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service (CNS), the oldest and largest religious news service in the world, is a leading source of news for Catholic print and electronic media across the globe. With bureaus in Washington and Rome, as well as a global correspondent network, CNS since 1920 has set the standard in Catholic journalism.
Office of Digital Media
The newly formed Office of Digital Media is responsible for developing and maintaining the USCCB’s Web sites. This includes www.usccb.org along with uspapalvisit.org, foryourmarriage.org, faithfulcitizenship.org, picturingmary.com and all the other department sites. The Digital Media office will also continue producing several audio and video productions for the Catholic Communication Campaign. Programs such as the daily readings, Personally Speaking, Catholic Radio Weekly, Daily Reflections, One on One, Faith Works and more are produced by this office. The office also helps other departments produce audio, video and DVDs for various projects.
Office of Media Relations
The Office of Media Relations represents the Catholic Bishops of the United States to the media and the media to the bishops. Responsibilities include preparing and distributing statements and other resources for the media, arranging for interviews with bishops and staff of the USCCB, organizing press conferences, responding to media queries and credentialing media for coverage of such events as the bishops’ annual meetings.
USCCB Publishing
USCCB Publishing participates in the mission of the USCCB as a professional publishing resource in the areas of print and electronic media, creative services, and intellectual property management. USCCB Publishing collaborates with other USCCB offices and other organizations to effectively use resources and technology to assist the bishops in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ and sharing the teachings of the Church. USCCB Publishing is the official U.S. source of papal and Vatican documents as well as the official publishing arm of the U.S. bishops.