Brandon Vogt Interview with Msgr. Charles Pope

The following comes from Brandon Vogt:

What if your pastor stood up next Sunday and said he wanted to double the size of the parish within one year? That's exactly what happened at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic parish in Washington DC, a predominantly African-American parish. Monsignor Charles Pope made that bold challenge last September and then got to work.

He trained forty parishioners to evangelize door-to-door, had another forty stay at the church and pray, and then asked forty more to cook meals for everyone upon their return. The whole program was a success. They visited more than 1,500 homes and drew many people back to the church.

Msgr. Pope is known for more than his parish work, though. His popular blog at the Archdiocese of Washington website is read across the world and his dynamic preaching inspires countless others.

Msgr. Pope recently sat down with me to talk about blogging, preaching, evangelization, and the unique experiences of serving in an African-American Catholic parish.

Salt and Light TV: Catholic Blogging

Bloggers Meet at the Vatican

The following comes from the CNS:


Some things just can't be done online. Like shake the hand of a blogging Benedictine nun (aka @Digitalnun on Twitter) and get her advice on how to create a profitable app with no start-up money.

Or drink prosecco, nibble on focaccia and discover while chatting with a scientist who blogs about biology and religion that he is a Protestant married to a Muslim and couldn't believe he was invited to a Vatican event.

At a landmark "Blog Meet," the pontifical councils for culture and for social communications brought together 150 bloggers -- in the flesh -- from all parts of the world May 2 to get a sense of their hopes and concerns. Once again, the church insisted the virtual world should only be a tool, not a substitute for, real human contact, even when the meeting underlines the extraordinary powers of new media.

Greeting people face-to-face also broke down some barriers and suspicions that have built up over the years between some bloggers and the sometimes communication-challenged Catholic hierarchy.

And create communion they did; the St. Peter-meets-tweeters blognic was a real coup -- a mini Berlin Wall knock-down -- as calling cards, emails and hugs were exchanged.

"The church has something to learn from bloggers," Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of Vatican's communications council, said in an interview with L'Osservatore Romano May 5.

By listening to inhabitants of the blogosphere, the church can learn not only what people in the pews are thinking and feeling, church leaders can get a sense of how important it is to speak about the faith in a language that is less "ecclesial" and more "understandable," he said.

Of the many issues brought up during the four-hour meeting was defining what, if any, kind of relationship should exist between the church and bloggers.

That issue took on several forms.

On the one hand, some bloggers wanted to be on par with traditional media professionals and be included in the Vatican press hall loop when important news was set to break.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said only accredited journalists who have been vouched for by their employers and have pledged to follow journalistic ethics have that kind of access.

However, he said, bloggers have played a key role in clarifying the kind of mistakes and confusion that result when the secular press gets a story wrong.

Other bloggers expressed concern about authenticity and wondered if there could be some kind of "imprimatur" to show when online content reflects the faith. Others were quite happy to be left alone and exercise their freedom of speech unfettered by authority.

For the Vatican, the idea of "authenticity" is critical. The faithful need to know whether what they are reading is church teaching or someone's personal interpretation or opinion.

In fact, the church's initial wariness of the online medium may have stemmed from fears that the malleable and viral nature of digital texts meant church teachings could become diluted, polluted or convoluted when they hit the Web.

During a question-and-answer period at the end of the meeting, one audience member from the United States asked if there was a plan to create a sort of "mechanism" through which dioceses would be able to judge or control whether content coming out of Catholic newspapers, television outlets and blogs represented the "authentic teaching" of the church.

Another audience member spoke out against such a plan, saying many Catholic blogs are not connected to the church and want stay independent and free from regulation and Vatican or diocesan approval.

The panel made up of Vatican officials wasn't able to address the concerns because of a lack of time. However, it was made clear at the beginning of the event that the Vatican's goal with the meeting was not to regulate bloggers nor create a moral code of conduct, but rather to take the first step in starting a dialogue and looking at how blogging plays a role in speaking about faith.

Archbishop Celli said he hoped the dialogue would continue after the May 2 meeting and called on bloggers to take the next step.

Hilary White of the blog Orwell's Picnic was already ahead of the game. She had scheduled an "alternative" blognic for May 3 to give bloggers who didn't get invited to the Vatican Blog-stock a chance to meet and talk in a much more informal setting -- specifically at an Irish-themed pub.

One of the most distinctive contrasts between the two gatherings, aside from the bar stools and beer, was the near total absence of clicking keys and heads hiding behind laptop screens.

People at the Vatican event were so connected to their mobile devices that the venue's bandwidth was too saturated to operate smoothly.

When Thaddeus Jones, an official at the social communications council, was ready to show off a new Silverlight video player for a Vatican news portal, nothing but black hit the screen.

One person said it was "a Steve Jobs moment" referring to a similar glitch in 2010 when excessive Wi-Fi network congestion prevented the Apple CEO from showing off the new iPhone features at the product unveiling.

Maybe the old-fashioned pub decor inspired an old-fashioned tradition of just "sitting around and talking," but it also showed that the Vatican blog meet was the catalyst it wanted to be for new pockets of dialogue to sprout up.

The Living Scripture Blog

Have you checked out the Living Scripture blog? This is a great service to those who want to reflect more deeply each day on the Sacred Scripture. The Salesian Sisters do a beautiful job keeping the reflections coming each day. Check them out!

Subscribe Now!

I am stealing this idea from the Anchoress, but I think it is a very good one:

Let's be friends!

It never occurs to me to push the RSS feeds, but after reading this, I realize I probably should!

Then you can get me in your email box, all day long…gosh, that sounds like a threat more than a promise!

Anyhow, you can subscribe to this site by putting your email address into the little box that says “Subscribe!” in the right hand sidebar.  You can also become a Google Friend and join in that number at Google connect to the right!

Let's be friends y'all!

The Catholic Readings

My good friend Fr. Tom Provenzano, SDB (of The Ax blog) has created another site! Please check out his Catholic Readings site.

New Blog: Check out "The Ax"

One of my Salesian friends (Fr. Tom Provenzano, SDB) has a new blog that he has been working on and I encourage you to stop by for a visit.  You can offer your condolences for the Yankee loss!

New Orleans archbishop launches video blog to reach Louisiana Catholics

The following comes from the CNA:

Archbishop of New Orleans Gregory Aymond has launched a video blog to deliver weekly messages to area Catholics. His first message reflects on his hopes for the future and what he has learned in his first year an archbishop. His next video will mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

"On most days it's hard to believe it's been a year already," Archbishop Aymond says in his first video. He added that it was his “humble privilege” to serve as archbishop, especially since he is the first native son of New Orleans to hold the office in over 200 years.

He also admitted that he has not been to all the parishes of the archdiocese as he had hoped he would, but he intends to fulfill the promise he made.

Speaking of the state of the archdiocese, he said “the Catholic Church is alive and well” and continues to be a “strong, strong presence” in New Orleans and beyond.

The archbishop has said he has been “overwhelmed” by the fraternity of the priests and by the “wonderful welcome” he has received from the priests, religious and laity.

Turning to the challenges facing the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archbishop Aymond cited rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina, responding to the effects of the Gulf oil spill, and addressing those hurt by the archdiocese’s pastoral plan to reorganize its churches.

Discussing his goals for the future, the archbishop said he would like to “tweak” the pastoral governance structure better to serve parishes and Catholic institutions and would like to build on the “wonderful relationships” he has formed.

He added that he would like the archdiocese to have a local synod.

The archbishop also advocated continued outreach to those who are away from the Church, noting the “Catholics Come Home” campaign planned for Lent 2011. In the archbishop’s words, this campaign provides the opportunity to say to absent Catholics “We’re sorry the Church hurt you. How can we welcome you back?”

Discussing young adults and youth, the archbishop said he was “very impressed” with these “leaders of tomorrow.” Noting how many young people want to combine their faith with their professional lives, he said they make him “very, very hopeful” about the future.

A new video blog entry from Archbishop Aymond will be published weekly at the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ web site, the archdiocese said. The website is located at http://www.arch-no.org

Lead Kindly Light

Jackie has a new blog over on the other side of the pond! Please check out Lead Kindly Light. Here was her first post back in July:

Welcome to " Lead Kindly Light "

Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom,

lead thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home;

lead thou me on!

Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see

the distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou

shouldst lead me on;

I loved to choose and see my path; but now

lead thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,

pride ruled my will: remember not past years!

So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it still

will lead me on.

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till

the night is gone,

And with the morn those angel faces smile,

which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Words: John Henry Newman, 1833

1,000,000 Visitors!

Thanks to all the folks who visit this blog! We hit 1,000,000! Very cool! God bless all of you and Happy 4th of July!

Pope Encourages Priests to Blog, Interact With Faithful Online

The Holy Father is encouraging Priests to blog! I love it! He knows this is a great means of evangelization. Technology is here to stay and we need to use it to put out the Good News! Here is the story from Fox News:

Pope Benedict XVI has a new commandment for priests struggling to get their message across: Go forth and blog.

The pope, whose own presence on the Web has heavily grown in recent years, urged priests on Saturday to use all multimedia tools at their disposal to preach the Gospel and engage in dialogue with people of other religions and cultures.

And just using e-mail or surfing the Web is often not enough: Priests should use cutting-edge technologies to express themselves and lead their communities, Benedict said in a message released by the Vatican.

"The spread of multimedia communications and its rich 'menu of options' might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web," but priests are "challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources," he said.

The message, prepared for the World Day of Communications, suggests such possibilities as images, videos, animated features, blogs, and Web sites.

"Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ," he said.Benedict said young priests should become familiar with new media while still in seminary, though he stressed that the use of new technologies must reflect theological and spiritual principles.

The 82-year-old pope has often been wary of new media, warning about what he has called the tendency of entertainment media, in particular, to trivialize sex and promote violence, while lamenting that the endless stream of news can make people insensitive to tragedies.

But Benedict has also praised new ways of communicating as a "gift to humanity" when used to foster friendship and understanding.

The Vatican has tried hard to keep up to speed with the rapidly changing field.

Last year it opened a YouTube channel as well as a portal dedicated to the pope. The Pope2You site gives news on the pontiff's trips and speeches and features a Facebook application that allows users to send postcards with photos of Benedict and excerpts from his messages to their friends.

Many priests and top prelates already interact with the faithful online. One of Benedict's advisers, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the archbishop of Naples, has his own Facebook profile and so does Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles.

In Saturday's message -- titled "The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word" -- Benedict urged special care in contacts with other cultures and beliefs.

A presence on the Web, "precisely because it brings us into contact with the followers of other religions, nonbelievers and people of every culture, requires sensitivity to those who do not believe, the disheartened and those who have a deep, unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute," he said.

Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli, who heads the Vatican's social communications office, said that Benedict's words aimed to encourage reflection in the church on the positive uses of new media.

"That doesn't mean that (every priest) must open a blog or a Web site. It means that the church and the faithful must engage in this ministry in a digital world," Celli told reporters. "At some point, a balance will be found."

Celli, 68, said that young priests would have no trouble following the pope's message, but, he joked, "those who have a certain age will struggle a bit more."

48 Day Fast: One Priests Extreme Lent!

Wow, now that is a fast!  Thanks Deacon Greg for posting that!  

Jackie Parkes has a new blog!

The Catholic mom of 10 is back at it with a new blog! Check it out!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Jobs... a list of my jobs!

So the Anchoress sent me this question and I will do my best to answer it... then send it on to 5 more lucky bloggers!

"It’s simple. Just list all the jobs you’ve had in your life, in order. Don’t bust your brain: no durations or details are necessary, and feel free to omit anything that you feel might tend to incriminate you. I’m just curious. And when you’re done, tag another five bloggers you’re curious about.”

Here goes: I will go in reverse

*Seminary Director for Salesians of Don Bosco
*Coordinator of Youth Ministry at Don Bosco Prep High School
*Theology Teacher at Salesian High School
*Seminary pastoral assignment at San Marin de los Flores in Guadalajara, Mexico
*Seminary pastoral assignment at Mount Carmel Medical Center
*Theology teacher at Salesian High School and Don Bosco Prep
(the stuff from below is before I entered the Salesians)
*Cafeteria worker at LSU... go Tigers!
*Warehouse work at Mervyn's, KMart, and Capitol Wholesalers.

So there you have it! Now... who to pick on next?

How about:

Patrick Madrid
Catholic Mom of 10
Fr. Anthony Ho
Life in the Abundant Lane
and
The Happy Nun!

INTP - The Thinkers

This is not my own personality type, but it is the personality of my blog! Check out your blogs type by clicking here.
The logical and analytical type. They are especialy attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.