The next event in this series happens on Wednesday evening, May 20, 2026.
- The timing of the Symposium coincides with the celebration of World Communications Day which will take place on May 17, 2026.
The focus for this year’s symposium will be media and artificial intelligence literacy. At this year’s symposium,
- The 2026 Cardinal Foley Award will be conferred upon Tracy Davidson (NBC10 News).
- The WCD theme will be featured in a public lecture by Mariele Courtois, Ph.D., with a response by Catherine Moon, Ph.D. — both members of the A.I. Research Group for the Center for Digital Culture at the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See, and contributors to the publication of Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations (Pickwick Publications, 2024).
24 January 2026
Mesage for the 60th World Communications Day: PRESERVING HUMAN VOICES AND FACES
The annual symposium at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary honors the legacy of Cardinal John Foley and his instrumental work in advancing communications in the Catholic Church as president of what was then the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1984 to 2007.
The symposium typically includes three components:
(1) an educational event (lecture & response or “town hall” discussion) focused on a subject related to the papal message for World Communications Day … during which invited experts engage with the audience on how the values expressed by the Holy Father can impact the contemporary world of communications by and/or about the Church.
(2) a social gathering (luncheon or dinner) for invited journalists and guests
(3) presentation of the annual John Cardinal Foley Award … to a professional whose work exemplifies the positive potential of mass media to inform, instruct, and inspire others in the quest to build a more just world.
For information on previous celebrations, click on the links below:
- 2025 Foley Symposium
- 2024 … no Symposium took place due to the Seminary’s re-location
- 2023 Foley Symposium on the Future of Catholic Journalism
- 2022 Foley Symposium
- 2021 Foley Symposium … canceled due to technical difficulties
- 2020 Foley Symposium
- 2019 Foley Symposium
- 2018 Foley Symposium
- 2017 Foley Symposium
- 2016 Foley Symposium