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Tag Archives: social media

Made For Glory

12 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Evangelisation

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advent, new evangelisation, social media

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Over the past few weeks a UK based discipleship project called Made For Glory has been producing daily reflections on the gospel at Mass. These short films have sought to be a guide through the season of Advent, bringing the message of this holy season to others through social media. Each day a new film has been uploaded to YouTube, and then put out through Facebook and Twitter for the Catholic social media world to share – and with great effect. The group describes themselves as, ‘Young people helping their peers grow in their faith, going deeper in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ’.

With the added advantage of a five hour time difference to watch the films the night before, my preaching at the Mass each day has been greatly helped by this project and resources. I’m used to preaching almost daily here, but often the reflections on the gospel which come to me before 7am, or which are influenced by the text of the Office that day, are not as concise or clear as they need to be for a short ferverino before people head to work. These short clips have the advantage that they communicate the message of the day’s readings, making the richness of the gospel palatable for a short homily whilst at the same time not reducing the challenges the readings present.

I am far from an advocate for reductionist preaching, or for seeking to make every aspect of the Christian faith relevant through contemporary analogy; rather I want to share the joy and challenge of living the life to which we are called by our baptism to those around me, and to offer them a chance of entering into the mystery of the life of the Church. These clips help with that, and particularly in their intended context: not just the daily Mass (where we find people already committed to Christ), but in our social networks, filled as they are with those whose faith is weak, or shaken, or unawakened by knowing the joy of life in Jesus Christ and his Church.

The intention of Made For Glory is also important. This is a ‘discipleship project’. It is classic and effective peer-to-peer evangelization. It is young people seeking to bring young people into a deeper ‘personal relationship with Jesus Christ’. This description is  strongly evangelical and biblical language, for sure, but it is also the language of the Church, in her mission to proclaim Christ unswervingly in and to the culture of today. Pope Benedict XVI alluded to this urgent need in Hyde Park, London, in 2010:

Truth is passed on not merely by formal teaching, important as that is, but also by the witness of lives lived in integrity, fidelity and holiness; those who live in and by the truth instinctively recognise what is false and, precisely as false, inimical to the beauty and goodness which accompany the splendour of truth, veritatis splendor.

So I recommend these to films to you. Watch them, share them, and get them out beyond the bounds of the usual Catholic social media crowd and into a world that – especially at this time of year – may be open and receptive to the great gift of life in Christ. He desires nothing more than to make his home with us, let us prepare to receive him and help others to do the same.

WYD & Peer Evangelization

26 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Evangelisation, Media

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Benedict XVI, communications, evangelisation, pope francis, rio, social communications, social media, wyd, youth

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This evening I was watching the live feed from Rio as Pope Francis officially opened the 28th World Youth Day on Copacabana beach, renamed by the Twitterati as #Popacabana for the duration of the week. After the Pater Noster (sung beautifully to the Solemn Anaphora Tone, for those interested in that sort of thing), and the final blessing, that great anthem of World Youth Day, Jesus Christ you are my life, struck up. Immediately my mind leapt back to those wonderful days in Madrid a few years ago, and I quickly fired-off a text to a Norwegian priest-friend who is in Rio, reminiscing and promising prayers from England for the event.

Live feed. Twitter. SMS. World Youth Day has become an amazing Catholic moment in the social media world, and we have almost missed the significance of what is going on here. As I type this, #PontifexRio, #PapaFrancisco, and #Copacabana, have all been trending worldwide on Twitter, not just from on the ground in Brazil, but from across the world, as young Catholics enter into World Youth Day like never before.

In his message for WYD this year, Pope Benedict XVI (as he was then) spoke specifically about the need for young people to engage a ‘missionary commitment’ in the area of social communications. As well as quoting his Message for the 43rd World Communications Day in 2009, he asked young WYD pilgrims, who “have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this ‘digital continent'”, and to “[l]earn how to use these media wisely”. It seems to have worked.

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Communications and Proactive Evangelisation

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Evangelisation, Media

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

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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

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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.

Conclave 2.0

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

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communications, conclave, evangelisation, fr robert barron, media, new evangelisation, social communications, social media

As the College of Cardinals gather to celebrate the Mass pro eligendo Papa in the basilica of Saint Peter, this morning, faithful from across the world will be tuning in to join them in prayer and in curiosity. Since the announcement of Pope Benedict’s resignation in early February, the Holy See Press Office, together with the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican Radio, CTV – the Vatican TV service, and other communications agencies for the Catholic Church, have been servicing a massive worldwide audience, keen to know every conceivable detail of the conclave process.

What is new, even since the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, is that this is being done more and more through electronic media. Social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter are providing regular updates from the sources, as well as information from journalists. Most importantly, though, a new dialogue has formed between the Catholic faithful and the media, as snippets of information are gathered together from across the Twittersphere and from comment pieces on blogs and websites.

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WYD 2013 and Social Media

18 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

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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

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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:

Developing Catholic Social Media

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

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blogs, communication, evangelisation, personal apostolate, social media

Day two in Rome and lunch with Mark Thelan (@CampionProject) in one of the better Trattorias on the Borgo Pio. Excellent carbonara.

Mark is preparing for ordination to the diaconate later this month and then to the Sacred Priesthood in December, please God, and is also involved with Why Not Priest website which promotes vocations to the priesthood using online material – blogs, video and social media.

It was a chance meeting, actually, arranged by a mutual friend in Washington D.C. Neither of us had met before but it was good to chat about life in Rome and Mark’s social media work promoting vocations and generally being a Catholic voice in the blogosphere.

The world of social communications really has grown beyond any expectations in recent years. With the new media and social media expansion, we are all now in a place to enable the Church to have a voice in the most unlikely places – surely a proper contemporary expression of lay involvement?

This means that we are all able to promote a personal apostolate; bringing the Christian gospel into people’s lives through our daily work and actions, and allowing the Lord to speak through us. As Fr Barron said in his recent trip to London, the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen would have given his high teeth for such opportunities, and it’s our duty – our obligation – to put these gifts to the service of Christ and his Church.

In August I will be giving a workshop at the Evangelium Conference entitled “The Personal Apostolate: New Media and the New Evangelisation”. Over the coming weeks I’ll be putting my thoughts together for that, so please do chip in with your own experiences and advice.

Our baptism means that we have a dignity in Christ, and a duty to proclaim him to the world. When we’re given such obvious means to do that, it’s churlish to think we can ignore them or fail to learn how we can use them to fulfil that calling.

Preaching to the Connected

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

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communications, social media, web

Here is a link to an article I contributed to earlier this year. In it my friend William Newton examines the use of new media by Catholic clergy. As it was pre-blog, I thought I’d post it today.

I hope that it might be possible to arrange some training in new and social media for clergy in the next year or so. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

Spread The Word

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Fr James Bradley in Uncategorized

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communications, evangelisation, ordinariate, social media

Yesterday I took delivery of 10,000 new leaflets about the Ordinariate. The pamphlet, published by the Catholic Truth Society, is part of our ongoing work of improving people’s knowledge of the Ordinariate – specifically in terms of what we’re about and the route by which we came into existence.

The new pamphlet – What is the Ordinariate? – will be the first of a number of printed materials which can be sent out to parishes and Ordinariate groups. In the southwest, the Ordinariate groups have clubbed together to produce Angelus and we also have our online magazine The Portal. On top of that we have the new newsletter from the Friends of the Ordinariate, Memorare, which will keep donors and benefactors informed about what’s going on.

I’ve been really impressed with the responses we’ve had to our communications work. The new website, our social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr), and the weekly eBulletin have all been well received. Especially with the social media accounts, we’ve been able to make real headway in communicating the Holy Father’s vision for the Ordinariate, and through that drawing people into a closer relationship, I hope, with Christ.

When I was in Rome last year for the Blog Meeting at the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, I heard nothing but positive comments about the way that we’d embraced the new media, and I was pleased that the news.va site, which has been so successful, is so similar in structure to what we’ve been putting in place for our own site.

Now, though, we need to be on the ground and speaking to parishes; we need to be meeting and greeting and explaining what we’re about and why we’re here. We need to be speaking to Catholics who love the idea, to harness that enthusiasm; to those who are sceptical, to prove we don’t have two heads; to Anglicans who are looking across to see what happens.

If you can help, or if you would welcome a talk in your parish or deanery about the Ordinariate, you can be in touch. We are integrated by virtue of our communion, but we still need to work – from all sides – to make the Ordinariate seem a normal part of the UK Catholic landscape, so we can continue to welcome people into the Church, and to assist with the important work of evangelisation entrusted to us.

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