Lunchbox Conversations: Sebastian Gomes on New Season of Connect5!

Vivian Cabrera

Friday, September 16, 2016

As Canada’s only Catholic Television Network that broadcasts across the nation 24 hours a day seven days a week in four languages, we run a fairly tight operation. With 30 or so full time employees, everyone is constantly doing one thing or another. But when it comes to lunch time, there is no messing around. We sit, we chat, we eat and we enjoy each other’s company.

In this series, I sit down with various colleagues of mine to have rich, insightful conversations about their latest projects and activities. I (cleverly) call this – Lunch Box Conversations. This week, I sat down with Sebastian Gomes for a delicious meal and to discuss the latest season of his show - Connect5!

V: What can we expect from Season 2 of Connect5?

SG: You can expect more of the same, and I mean that in the best possible way! We have an entirely new line up of guests for the show, speaking about a wide range of topics including: ecology, the refugee crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, religious life, Catholic and Russian-Orthodox dialogue, astronomy, and much more. The show will run every Friday at 8:25pm from Sept 16. all the way up to Christmas!

V: Was there anyone you wish you had more time to interview?

SG: For me the most interesting interview of this season was with Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ, informally known as “the Pope’s astronomer”. He’s a planetary scientist who runs the Vatican’s observatory. We talked about the latest science of the big bang and the complexity of the chemical reactions that took place to create the universe as we know it. We also dealt with the question of extraterrestrial life--a subject that many believers might be uncomfortable with, but one that Br. Guy answered with great insight. I just wish we had more than five minutes for that show!

V: At the end of the day what do you hope people take away?

SG: The whole point of Connect5 is to expose our viewers to fascinating people sharing their story or expertise on a relevant topic, in a condensed and manageable format. I want our viewers to immediately learn something without having to commit to watching a full-length program. If you get one or two great insights from a guest that inform your perspective on the topic, mission accomplished!

Watch the first episode below!

Be sure to catch new episodes of Connect5 every Wednesday afternoon online or Fridays at 8:25 pm ET on TV!

Vivian Cabrera is a displaced Texan living in Canada. A communications graduate of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, she spends most of her time trying not to forget how to speak Spanish and working as the Social Media Manager for Salt + Light. She enjoys following Pope Francis on social media and experimenting with creative ways of communicating the gospel message digitally. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Suggestions? Find her up on twitter (@iCabrera05) or email her here: [email protected].