Using new media to share our faith nothing to be skeptical of
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
So you’re skeptical about getting involved with social media. That’s OK. Things that are unfamiliar are sometimes scary, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Think about what it took for you (or past generations) to begin using radios, or televisions or the Internet. Did you begin using new forms of technology begrudgingly? Did you feel like you had no other choice?
That’s because if you wanted to keep up to date with what was going on in your community, you had to get connected.
And the Church has little choice, either.
To bring the Good News into the lives of the faithful, the Church must use social media in innovative ways.
And it has had success with other forms of technology in the past, so I expect no different moving forward.
In 1931, after the medium became widely used in the United States and Europe, Vatican Radio transmitted its first broadcast, which brought the faithful closer to the Holy Father.
In the ‘80s, the Vatican began broadcasting the Pope’s Christmas and Easter blessings on television, so all who wanted to witness them could without being present in St. Peter’s Square. That made the Pope more accessible to Catholics worldwide.
The Church is constantly searching for ways to use new media in its mission. And many Catholic organizations are doing great work on social media.
Take the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, for example. It posts daily readings, mediations, news and more to its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
And even the Pope is in on the fun. As I mentioned in my last column, Pope Francis (@pontifex) tweets almost every day — bringing him closer to his people through shared prayers and inspirational messages.
For many, iPhones and iPads have become ways to access the Scripture. While it is certainly not the same as holding a Bible, the amount of information harnessed by these devices – prayer guides, translations, mediations, and more all can be found on the Web — could make using them more palatable.
Looking for a calendar of feast days, children’s Bibles, Catholic quizzes or news from Pope Francis? There are apps for all of that. (Check out this column at TrentonMonitor.com for links.)
So while we all firmly and wholeheartedly accept the fact that God is everywhere, we shouldn’t be surprised when he shows up on Facebook.
Brittany Wilson is the Diocese of Trenton’s Social Media Coordinator. Contact her by emailing [email protected] or calling 609-403-7137.
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So you’re skeptical about getting involved with social media. That’s OK. Things that are unfamiliar are sometimes scary, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Think about what it took for you (or past generations) to begin using radios, or televisions or the Internet. Did you begin using new forms of technology begrudgingly? Did you feel like you had no other choice?
That’s because if you wanted to keep up to date with what was going on in your community, you had to get connected.
And the Church has little choice, either.
To bring the Good News into the lives of the faithful, the Church must use social media in innovative ways.
And it has had success with other forms of technology in the past, so I expect no different moving forward.
In 1931, after the medium became widely used in the United States and Europe, Vatican Radio transmitted its first broadcast, which brought the faithful closer to the Holy Father.
In the ‘80s, the Vatican began broadcasting the Pope’s Christmas and Easter blessings on television, so all who wanted to witness them could without being present in St. Peter’s Square. That made the Pope more accessible to Catholics worldwide.
The Church is constantly searching for ways to use new media in its mission. And many Catholic organizations are doing great work on social media.
Take the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, for example. It posts daily readings, mediations, news and more to its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
And even the Pope is in on the fun. As I mentioned in my last column, Pope Francis (@pontifex) tweets almost every day — bringing him closer to his people through shared prayers and inspirational messages.
For many, iPhones and iPads have become ways to access the Scripture. While it is certainly not the same as holding a Bible, the amount of information harnessed by these devices – prayer guides, translations, mediations, and more all can be found on the Web — could make using them more palatable.
Looking for a calendar of feast days, children’s Bibles, Catholic quizzes or news from Pope Francis? There are apps for all of that. (Check out this column at TrentonMonitor.com for links.)
So while we all firmly and wholeheartedly accept the fact that God is everywhere, we shouldn’t be surprised when he shows up on Facebook.
Brittany Wilson is the Diocese of Trenton’s Social Media Coordinator. Contact her by emailing [email protected] or calling 609-403-7137.
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