Examining media as a paradigm of advancing new evangelization in Mbarara Archdiocese Ibanda Parish in view of aetatis novae

Abstract

Today, media pervades the daily life of many people and the work of the church. This brings about the study of the examination of media as a paradigm of advancing new evangelization in the context of Aetatis Novae. This dissertation contains six chapters. Chapter one presents the general introduction of the dissertation, in this, the back ground of the study, the statement of the problem, the purpose, scope of the study and operational definition of terms were treated. The objectives of this research were threefold. Firstly, it sought to explore on the meaning of the notion of new evangelization. Secondly, the research endeavored to find out what Ibanda Parishioners use media for. Thirdly, this exploration strove to identify how media is a paradigm of advancing new evangelization. Chapter two presents the understanding of New Evangelization, media usage and media as a paradigm of advancing new evangelization and the teaching of Aetatis Novae on media. An analysis of secondary data from different scholars who have written about media enhancing evangelization is also presented so as to find out the opinions of other writers on the pointers in the revitalization of new evangelization by media. This strengthens the pre-conceived argument that media is a paradigm of advancing new evangelization. Chapter three presents research methodology describing the manner in which the study followed. The research adopted a descriptive design and employed a questionnaire, Interviews, observations and focus group discussions to collect data. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The employment of these is because the research involved provision quantitative and numeric descriptions of some parts of the population. It was not possible for the researcher to study the whole population due to many constraints of time, resources, and man power. The researcher selected only a few of the subjects of the study but the results were to be generalized to the whole population and in doing this, simple random, purposive and snowball sampling techniques were employed. Chapter four gives a detailed presentation of the findings and analysis of the data collected from the field. The different kinds of raw data collected from the respondents have been arranged, organized and transformed into meaningful information. The collected data underwent a rigorous data processing and management protocol in order to ensure the quality and integrity which involved data cleaning and data coding. Chapter five gives the summary and discussion of the findings. Most people in Ibanda Parish use media for different purposes for example as the source of information, entertainment and communication. The majority of the people use radios, followed by social media and 14% use television. Ibanda Parishioners spend a significant amount of time on media. More than 75% of the people use media for more than two hours a day. The study demonstrated that media is a powerful tool for advancing new evangelization. The findings highlighted the importance of media in reaching a wider audience, promoting spiritual growth and development, and fostering community and connection among believers. Chapter six gives the conclusions and recommendations. The study revealed that media can be used to share the Gospel message, provide catechesis and evangelization, and promote spiritual growth and development. For successful use of media in new evangelization, the researcher recommends the Catholic Church in Ibanda to develop a comprehensive media strategy that takes into account the potential of media to support new evangelization efforts. This strategy should include the use of various media formats, such as radio, social media, television, and online platforms, to reach different segments of the population.