ഇന്ത്യൻ കാത്തലിക് പ്രസ്സ് അസോസിയേഷന്റെ പ്രസിഡന്റ് ആയി വീണ്ടും തെരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ട ഇഗ്നേഷ്യസ് ഗോൺസാൽവസ് സാറിന് അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ. ഐസിപിഎയുടെ 60 വർഷത്തെ ചരിത്രത്തിൽ ഇതാദ്യമായാണ് ഒരു അല്മായൻ പ്രസിഡന്റായി വീണ്ടും തെരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെടുന്നത്.
The Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) is an association of Catholic newspapers and periodicals, news agencies, publishing houses, journalists and teachers of journalism. The ICPA is one of the oldest and most active Catholic press organizations in Asia.
Founded in 1963 by the editors of three dailies (Deepika, Kerala Times, and Thozhilali) and of five weeklies (The Examiner, The New Leader, The Herald, Sanjivan and Raknno), ICPA now has over 160 members, including some of the leading Catholic periodicals and publishing houses of India and several Catholic journalists and teachers of journalism. It was Jesuit priest, John Barrett, the founder-editor of the Hindi Catholic weekly, Sanjivan, who brought together the editors of these Catholic periodicals in Delhi, to found the Association.
Fr Eric D’Souza, the then editor of The New Leader, was elected the first President and Fr Barrett was elected the first Secretary. Since membership of the association was limited to editors only, the association remained stagnant till the mid-1970s. However, when in 1975 the membership in ICPA was opened to Catholic journalists and publishers, its members grew significantly. It peaked at 200 at one time.
The Association grew in strength thanks to the efforts made by Fr McFarland SJ, the then Secretary of the CBCI Commission for Social Communication and Archbishop Alphonse Mathias the commission Chairman.
Since 1975 Annual General Body Meetings (AGMs) have been held regularly. In the 1980s ICPA opened its doors to journalists working in the secular media.
From 1995 onwards AGMs have been preceded by a National Convention of Christian Journalists (NCCJ). In 2002 ICPA decided to invite delegates from other South Asian countries to attend the National Convention.
The Association functioned for two decades under a Constitution modelled on the Companies Act of India. In 1985 it was modified on the pattern of the Registration of Societies Act of India and was registered at Kochi, on 30 October 1985 as ER 466/85 under Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act 1955 of Travancore and Cochin State, with its Registered office in Ernakulam.
