It is not unusual for people to expect a place of ministry or an organization to have a website. It is not unusual for people to ask if they can follow the ministry on Facebook or Twitter. And of course, all people in service and leadership ministries are expected to have and use email. So why are there so few good parish, diocesan and organizational websites? Why aren’t we using…
Category: technology
25 Posts
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Communications and Ministry in the Digital Age
On January 24, 2011, the Vatican released Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the 45th World Communications Day (June 5, 2011). In this message, the Holy Father invites “Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible… The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness.…
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Focus on Mission and Technology Will Follow
In a survey that I put out a few days ago, I invited respondents to submit any questions they have about technology and mission. The majority of these respondents, like you, are already sold on using technology for mission. Many of them asked the question that I hear again and again “How can we get [fill in the blank] to see the importance of having a web presence, (using email…
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Church Ministry and the Digital Age Part II
The Catholic Church has always been in the forefront of using communications media for mission and ministry. Pope Paul VI wrote in On Evangelization in the Modern World, “The Church would feel guilty before the Lord if she did not use these powerful means [of social communication] that human skill is daily rendering more perfect. It is through them that she proclaims “from the housetops” the message of which she…
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Church Ministry and the Digital Age Part I
We all know that the world has changed with the coming of the digital age, but when it comes to Church ministry in the U.S. (I am talking about national Catholic organizations, religious communities, dioceses, and parishes), that reality has not registered with everyone. Some ministry leaders will say “We have a website. What else do we need?” A response might include a reference to Pope Benedict XVI’s message on…
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SND 2010 Technology Study Report
During the annual Province Gathering Days for the Sisters of Notre Dame, in Chardon, Ohio, which took place July 30-31, 2010, I had an hour to present the results of our Technology Self-Study to the more than 200 sisters gathered in the auditorium for the two day event. It was a great experience. The sisters were eager to hear the study results and they were very enthusiastic about expanding our…