Cover image for “Talk with the Jesuits About Everything,” a GenZ podcast produced by trainees of the comprehensive media production course conducted by JesCom Philippines for Jesuit scholastics in their First Studies (Juniors) at the Loyola House of Studies.
Jesuit Communications Philippines (JesCom) completed its semester-long media training module for Jesuit scholastics at the Loyola House of Studies in Manila, equipping participants with practical skills in storytelling, multimedia production, and digital evangelisation.
This year’s participants included East Timorese scholastics Novario Martins, Eugenio Maia, Efrizidio Amon A Correia, Felix F Coutinho, and Danilo Soares, and Paulus. Though they came from varied backgrounds, the programme emphasised a common calling: communicating the Good News with clarity, compassion, and creativity across multimedia platforms.
The course opened in January with an overview led by JesCom Executive Director Fr Emmanuel “Nono” Alfonso SJ, followed by scriptwriting sessions with JesCom Creative Director Pauline Mangilog-Saltarin. In February, JesCom Production Manager Ernestine Tamana and production team member Carlo Estebanlar introduced the scholastics to video production, guiding them through the fundamentals of visual storytelling. March focused on radio and podcast production under Fr Nono and Radyo Katipunan 87.9 FM Station Coordinator Justin Pontino, who highlighted the enduring power of voice, conversation, and authentic storytelling in faith-based media. Digital and social media formation followed in April through sessions facilitated by JesCom Media Training and Website Manager Paolo Antonio Gonzalez, who underscored the value of responsible online communication. Also contributing her wealth of insights on effective social media marketing was Joanna Armenta, guiding the scholastics through the topics of content creation, visual branding, and audience engagement.
The semester concluded in May with the scholastics producing a series of multimedia projects, including a short film, a podcast, and a social media campaign, that showcased the skills they had developed throughout the course.
More than technical instruction, the training reflected JesCom’s broader mission as the media arm of the Philippine Jesuits: forming communicators who can engage today’s world thoughtfully and faithfully. In an age when attention is fleeting and noise is constant, the Church’s message increasingly depends on storytellers who can speak not only with conviction but also with understanding and humanity.
For these scholastics, media formation became more than an academic requirement. It became preparation for ministry itself — learning how to meet people where they are and how to carry the Gospel into the digital spaces where so many now search for meaning, connection, and hope. [/Anthony Perez]
