Thine Own Service

Thine Own Service

Tag Archives: new media

Communications and Proactive Evangelisation

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Evangelisation, Media

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

communications, evangelisation, media, new evangelisation, new media, social communications, social media

twitter001

Photo: © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

In the coming weeks, with my move to DC imminent, I will be stepping down from my current role as Communications Officer for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. I began this job almost two years ago now, with no prior experience and no expertise; simply with an enthusiasm for the project and a passion for evangelisation, especially through new means, such as social media. And I certainly don’t claim to be anything like an expert now. I have had no formal training. I learned to write press releases from the gentle criticisms sent me by friendly journalists, and I have tried to present our work and mission in a positive light, sometimes in the face of negative or unthinking rebuke, even from Catholic sources. I don’t think we’ve done a bad job, and the Ordinariate is still in most of the Church press most weeks, and in the national press on a regular basis too.

At some level, though, it isn’t the press work that I think has been the greatest success, nor the primary focus of our work, because I do not believe that this is where the Church should be focussing her energies in the field of communications. Too often we are on the back-foot; responding to criticisms or situations, or buffeting the wires with information of limited interest to the public. Too often we are responsive, rather than pro-active; often failing to make real use of the opportunities presented to us to speak explicitly and articulately about the central precepts of the faith. Too often we have become experts in media work at the cost of becoming weak practitioners in the task of evangelisation.

This is seen particularly in two places. First, in social and new media we find large numbers of Catholic journalists, organisations, active lay faithful, and priests (and one English bishop, so far) making use of Twitter and Facebook. This is a seriously positive step forward, essential for raising awareness of the life of the Church, and also for reaching beyond our own flocks and friends. It is a tool of communication and of evangelisation. The problem comes, though, when an imbalance – usually communication over evangelisation – creeps in, either be poor individual judgement or a lack of prudence (i.e. engaging in polemical arguments or point-scoring against others), or – and this is perhaps more easily solved – because an organisation or individual adopts a ‘mediacentric’ view (i.e. seeking to promote news to journalists, rather than Christ to the world). If we fail to make use of the ‘digital continent’ as – in Pope Benedict’s words – ‘portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelisation’, then we are simply wasting our time out there, and engaging in what Pope Francis might call a ‘self-referential’ exercise, that does little to truly promote the gospel.

Secondly, it is a cause of some real concern that there is growing number of ‘professional Catholic’ journalists and commentators – lay and clerical. These are people who make use of their Catholic ‘credentials’ as a means of giving a particular view or outlook on a story – often in a secular sphere – but who do not make use of their chosen outlet (and increased portfolio) for pure, raw evangelisation. Be it Catholic newspapers or Twitter feeds, the church of the New Evangelisation has little time for those who simply wish to comment on the life of the Church, without themselves engaging actively in the central reason for the incarnation: bringing the light of Christ to the darkness of the world. Anyone who seeks to work for the Church – in whatever capacity – needs to speak regularly and clearly about the transformative love of Christ in their lives and the life of the Church, if they are to avoid painting a picture of a mere institution rather than the Mystical Body of Christ.

My call, then, is for a renewal in Catholic communications, for them to really become exactly that. It is a call to move away from ‘Catholics doing media’, and towards Catholics communicating the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, more explicitly and more comprehensively than ever before. We need a renewal that will see evangelisation, and the person of Jesus Christ, put at the centre of all that we do and say, so that every interview given, every press release issued, every message tweeted, will speak of Jesus Christ, and will explicitly seek to draw others to him.

If that means a story isn’t published, or our comment isn’t sought – fine. A content-light article or a painfully balanced piece isn’t going to bring the world to Christ. What might, is our own courageous witness to the joy and delight that comes from knowing the Lord Jesus in his holy Church, and that can’t be hidden under a bushel for the sake of journalistic credibility, press protocol, or an impressive scoop.

Communications in Rome

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Media

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

communications, media, new media, social communications, social media, vatican

Greg Burke, Senior Communications Adviser to the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, gave this talk last week in London. I was privileged to be invited and I reproduce the video here as a good introduction to the structures and offices involved with press, media, and communications in the various dicastries and offices of the Holy See.

WYD 2013 and Social Media

18 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Benedict XVI, communications, evangelisation, media, new evangelisation, new media, social communications, social media, young people

Pope Benedict addresses young people ahead of World Youth Day in Rio next year:

I would like to emphasize two areas where your missionary commitment is all the more necessary. Dear young people, the first is the field of social communications, particularly the world of the internet. As I mentioned to you on another occasion: “I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives. […] It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this ‘digital continent’” (Message for the 43rd World Communications Day, 24 May 2009). Learn how to use these media wisely. Be aware of the hidden dangers they contain, especially the risk of addiction, of confusing the real world with the virtual, and of replacing direct and personal encounters and dialogue with internet contacts.

Full text here.

Social Communications & the Church

23 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

media, mgr paul tighe, new media, social communications, social media

Mgr Paul Tighe, the Secretary to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, speaks at a recent Media Congress in Sydney, Australia. Mgr Tighe was one of the primary organisers of the 2010 Bloggers Meeting in Rome which I was fortunate enough to attend, but has also been helpful in the establishment of our communications work for the Ordinariate:

Evangelisation on the Digital Continent

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

communications, digital continent, Facebook, media, new evangelisation, new media, social communications, Twitter

I’ve finally got round to reading Brandon Vogt‘s book The Church and New Media, partly out of a sense of duty, and partly due to the onset of panic about a few talks I have been asked to give on this subject. I got my paperback version through the post last week – I’d have had the Kindle version, but it’s not available to download in the UK (so, you can order a book from the US, but not download a file… crazy).

Cardinal Sean O’Malley‘s introduction bears reading well, and so far Fr Robert Barron and Jennifer Fulwiler‘s contributions have been well worth considering – both in terms of the theological underpinnings of communication and evangelisation on the ‘digital continent’, and the importance of evangelisation through digital and new media.

But it’s the insight of Marcel LeJeune who really made me stop and think. LeJeune’s enthusiasm for a proper integration of social communications into the ecclesial environment is not only infectious, it’s a qualified success. At Texas A&M university, the chaplaincy (LeJeune is the fantastically named ‘Assistant Director of Campus Ministry’… only in the US) uses podcasts, YouTube, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, low-power FM radio and Flocknote (look that up is you want some cool parish communications tools). And it works – as his example of registering students with the chaplaincy via their ‘cellphone’ (sic) shows.

I might immediately baulk at the idea of getting students to get their iPhone out at the end of Mass, but really it’s no different from getting them to fill in a Gift Aid envelope, or remember the dates sung from the Epiphany Proclamation of Moveable Feasts – it’s about information being passed on for the building up of the Church, and the more effective proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, frankly, we often have people following the readings and the Order of Mass on their phones here and it’s less distracting than someone fiddling with their ribbons and swishing paper pages.

At a later date I want to write something more about this idea of the ‘Digital Continent’, which appears in this book and elsewhere in Catholic media discussions. In short, you’re either an immigrant or a native: so if you find it the most natural thing in the world to say your Office on your iPhone, or to be updating Twitter whilst the latest episode of your favourite show is on iPlayer, you’re a native; if you’re still using email as your main source of online communications (and I mean socially, not for work) – you’re an immigrant.

The Church’s new approach to social communications, especially the New Media, has to be founded amongst those whose thumbs were designed to slide across an iPad screen, not those who think that Bluetooth is a dental filling. And don’t take my word for it (cue Universal Pontiff):

It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this “digital continent”. Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: the greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the “Good News” of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people. Human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: may you become its heralds! The Pope accompanies you with his prayers and his blessing.

Enter your email address to follow:

Categories

  • Canon Law
  • Evangelisation
  • Homily
  • Liturgy
    • Beauty
  • Media
  • Music
  • Ordinariate
  • Pope Francis
  • Talk
  • Uncategorized

Tags

advent Anglicanism anglicanorum coetibus Anglican Use apologetics architecture baptism Beauty Benedict XVI bishops BOL2015 BSDW bxvi canon law catechesis catholicism charity christmas church communications communion confession cross discernment discipleship Divine Worship DW: Collects easter ember days eucharist evangelisation extraordinary form faith fid formation fr robert barron heaven holy week homily intentional catholicism law lent liturgy mary mass media mercy morality music new evangelisation new media ordinariate ordination our lady papacy passiontide patrimony plainchant pope pope benedict pope francis pre-lent priesthood reform of the reform sacred heart sacrifice septuagesima sherry weddell social communications social media tracey rowland unity virtue vocation worship

Archives

  • February 2021
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • April 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Blog Stats

  • 128,318 hits

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×