Media Monday: Technology and Faith

Posted by admin on January 24, 2010 under 1. Media Monday | Read the First Comment

It’s the beginning of a new semester and in case you are also new to this CCMA tool, here is a bit about this blog! This space is a vehicle for CCMA members to learn and dialogue about our ministry. The focus of each day allows us to focus on different facets and how they impact our work but there is lots of room for new ideas! We are currently looking for new members of the CCMA Technology Subcommittee so if you are interested in being a blog author or working more on the intersection of ministry and technology let us know!

In fact, the topic of technology has been a hot one this fall. From Pope Benedict’s statements on new media technologies for evangelization at the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications to the Catholic News Service Multimedia Player (www.chonline.org/news/multimedia-news.html) to the Music from the Vatican Project and their use of YouTube to promote their new album - technology and ministry are no longer strangers.
Many of you have written expressing some frustration aver finding credible and safe ways of creating a virtual presence for your ministry. One such tool is Ning. Ning, like Facebook, is a social networking tool that allows the campus minister to create closed networks and create safe spaces for students to communicate with open another and with the campus minister. The user can also then connect to other sites of interest. Especially for campus ministers with little or no web presence or access this is a great tool! Check it out and let us know what you think!

Katie Byrnes is an Assistant Chaplain at Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University.