Dominicans Order Up Preaching for the Digital Age

Friars in the U.S. are the usage of the creativity afforded by the information superhighway to deliver an 800-12 months lifestyle to americans who should hear the Gospel.

SAN FRANCISCO â€" St. Dominic preached the Catholic religion in the squares and taverns of France the place americans congregated, and 800 years later, his Order of Preachers is now taking that Dominican culture into the digital sphere.

The Western Province of Dominicans, Province of essentially the most Holy name of Jesus, have now upped their digital preaching game by means of rolling out a new OPWest App, purchasable on Android and Apple contraptions, in an effort to proper misinformation and confusion about the Catholic faith and produce americans to know and love Jesus Christ. The app rolled out on Nov. 7.

“We Dominicans, charged with preaching the Gospel, need to preach the Gospel the place individuals are and convey the Gospel to the general public forum,” talked about Dominican Father Brad Elliot. “This new app is a way for us Dominicans within the Western united states to reply to the real needs of the americans to whom we minister.”

The app carries featured top-quality contemporary content from the Western Province Dominicans, short videos referred to as “reality in 60” to reply individuals’s questions concerning the Catholic faith and how to reside, and introduces americans to the true lives of these days’s Dominicans.

The “fact in 60” video sequence covers subject matters akin to “subculture and Morality,” “spiritual existence,” “religion and Spirituality,” “Scripture,” “lifestyle and heritage” and “The Supernatural.” The themes destroy down into smaller subtopics, equivalent to “advantage and Vice” and “household lifestyles.” The movies are a couple of minutes long and might be both watched or downloaded as audio.

in one such video, Dominican Father Jerome Cudden handle the question, “should still I force my youngsters to go to Mass?” In a different, Dominican Father Michael Hurley solutions the question, “Do angels affect the world?”

Father Elliot defined that the brand new OPWest App simply takes “what Dominicans have finished for 800 years,” proclaiming the Church’s unchanging truths, however throughout the medium of the internet. The OPWest App is the latest approach they can try this, and “put words to one of the most extra complex solutions the Catholic Church offers to some of existence’s toughest questions, and provides it to americans in a digestible manner.”

Casey O’Leary, digital media director for the Western Province, informed the Register that the time period “parish 2.0” describes the reality of how Catholics these days are actually attractive with the Church within the digital sphere. He defined that los angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron, along with his observe on hearth ministry and direct engagement with individuals of no religious affiliation or the “Nones,” has also been “a trailblazer,” displaying how the Church’s preachers need to use the digital media to get the message of the Gospel to those that deserve to hear it.

“because the Order of Preachers, in a secularized tradition, the friars can’t predict to evangelise to a lot of people on Sundays,” he stated. “They must go online and preach on-line, and our hope is the app will assist them accomplish this.”

‘Friars and Brimstone’

across the U.S., Dominican friars are the use of the web’s digital tools in artistic easy methods to interact individuals and share Christ’s Gospel.

The Dominican Southern Province, the Province of St. Martin de Porres, has prioritized  on-line preaching, attractive friends to its web page with YouTube movies and podcasted homilies from tuition communities they serve.

Dominican Fathers Francis Orozco and Father Thomas Schaefgen, who each had been Catholic tuition chaplains, had labored on growing video shorts all over seminary. but following ordination, they decided that podcasting could be a versatile and fun method to attain young adults with the Gospel and answer their questions about Jesus and the religion. The podcast also supposed that it may well be listened to through americans whether they were driving in their cars or traveling via aircraft.

“We concept we are able to enter during this, too, and produce a Dominican taste to it,” Father Orozco told the Register. He observed he and Father Schaefgen first notion of its identify, which would be a humorous tackle the stereotype of a fiery Southern preacher.

“We in fact wanted to have a good time with it, therefore the name ‘Friars and Brimstone.’”

The “Friars and Brimstone” podcast has three main facets, with the heart of the podcast giving a extra in-depth answer to a query americans have.

“individuals desire more than just the 30-second answer,” he referred to.

but no matter if the theme is purgatory, or “adulting,” they celebrate making the presentation. The format is augmented further with Father Schaefgen’s light-hearted “rant of the day” and Father Orozco’s “loopy idea,” an fun, a ways-fetched tackle an issue.

Father Orozco defined Dominicans have a recognition for severe preaching, which is correct, but he observed it's additionally important for people to recognise that “clergymen are precise individuals who can have a good time with each and every other.”

as a result of Dominicans are generally on the flow, they decided that podcasting can be a way to attain out to individuals on-line, however require tons less time editing than a video series.

“probably the most reasons Dominicans were centered have been to be itinerant preachers,” he said.

Father Orozco is on the stream because the vocations director, and Father Schaefgen is busy as a campus minister at Tulane university. Father Orozco spoke of that often potential he'll name in from a quiet area to do the podcast.

however they could also do the podcast from practically any place. Father Orozco explained that one time they were in Honduras for a mission commute, and Father Schaefgen simply “pulled out his cell and did a recording, appropriate then and there, and uploaded it when we obtained returned to the U.S.”

He delivered that lay Catholics are also key players in assisting Dominicans unfold the digital message.

“The factor americans can do is to share it,” he mentioned. “That’s the way to maintain that preaching going, by way of sending private emails or hitting that ‘share’ or ‘retweet’ button.”

Preaching Christ Crucified

the passion of Dominicans to make themselves current on YouTube, social media, podcasting and radio is “basically about preaching Christ crucified,” in response to Dominican Father Thomas Petri, vp and tutorial dean of the Pontifical college of the stainless thought on the Dominican residence of reports in Washington, D.C.

“That’s what St. Dominic based the Dominican Order to do, and everything else in our lifestyles is in reality at the carrier of that,” he mentioned.

Father Petri, of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, explained the digital era “is with ease an extension” of that Dominican mission of “persuading and convincing others to grasp the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.”

Father Thomas explained one such initiative is “Aquinas a hundred and one,” which the Register profiled in a separate story. The software, which helps unpack St. Thomas Aquinas’s teachings and insights, now has 18,000 subscribers.

“It’s been really neatly-got,” mentioned Father Petri, who's a contributor to the software.

usual, he stated Dominicans appear at the digital sphere as an opportunity to deliver their founder’s preaching mission into “one other enviornment.”

“We’re at all times going to be preaching in the digital world,” he spoke of, “and we hope it brings extra individuals closer to Jesus Christ.”

Peter Jesserer Smith is a Register body of workers reporter.