This year, World Communications Day takes place on June 1 (rather than May 1). I suspect this has something to do with the fact that Pentecost falls closer to June 1 than to May 1 this year, and the theme of communication in the Church is tied closely to the experience of Pentecost.
My observation is that  special days in the Church — such as the World Day of Peace and the World Day of Communications — often pass us by without making even a ripple in the Church or in the culture. It seems to me that we often do not make a proper preparation for the celebration of these days. And yet the Church does suggest a time of preparation; the Pope’s messages for these events are released months ahead of time.
With that in mind, for the month of May, and up through the feast of Pentecost on June 8, I’ve decided to dedicate my blog to the theme of this year’s World Communications Day: communication at the service of an authentic culture of encounter.
In the coming weeks, I hope to examine Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day one paragraph at a time… with the hope that by soaking in it, slowly, it might be possible to really absorb the message and prepare for a fruitful celebration on June 1.
Here’s the opening paragraph, as a teaser:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we are living in a world which is growing ever “smaller” and where, as a result, it would seem to be easier for all of us to be neighbours.  Developments in travel and communications technology are bringing us closer together and making us more connected, even as globalization makes us increasingly interdependent.  Nonetheless, divisions, which are sometimes quite deep, continue to exist within our human family.  On the global level we see a scandalous gap between the opulence of the wealthy and the utter destitution of the poor.  Often we need only walk the streets of a city to see the contrast between people living on the street and the brilliant lights of the store windows.  We have become so accustomed to these things that they no longer unsettle us.  Our world suffers from many forms of exclusion, marginalization and poverty, to say nothing of conflicts born of a combination of economic, political, ideological, and, sadly, even religious motives. (click here to read the entire letter)