British Jesuits appoint communications officer

The British Province of the Society of Jesus has appointed Mr Ged Clapson as their Communications Officer, with a view to developing both their internal and external communication. In announcing the new post at Mount Street, the Provincial of the Jesuits, Rev David Smolira, said he was "delighted" with Ged's appointment. "I have been looking for some time at ways of improving communication in the Province, and Ged will be helping to develop our internal communication as well as raising our profile more widely in the UK," he said. Ged Clapson was Deputy Director at the Catholic Communications Centre until it was incorporated into the Catholic Communications Service in February 2002. From 1990 to 1994, he was Head of Communications at CAFOD, having previously spent 15 years as a BBC Radio producer and presenter. Over the past nine years, he has specialized in helping Church organizations and charities develop public relations strategies, and has provided them with a wide range of media skills courses. He is a regular Pause for Thought contributor on BBC Radio 2, and presents a weekly programme for Premier Christian Radio. "The Jesuits are renowned for adapting to the changing needs of the day, and for their commitment to communicating the Gospel through their work and witness," Ged said. "I am greatly looking forward to working with the priests, brothers and lay workers in the British Province, and to sharing in their mission - particularly in this, the bi-centenary of the Province's Restoration."