Caroline Cerveny is a learner leader and digital immigrant with extensive experience in education, ministry, and new media. She holds degrees in educational technology and religious studies, as well as a Doctor of Ministry. The document discusses evangelization, the goals of evangelization according to the USCCB, what constitutes good news, and how the Church can communicate the gospel message effectively in a digital culture through tools like websites, blogs, social media, and mobile technologies.

1. Caroline Cerveny, SSJ-TOSF, D. Min.

2. Learner Leader
 Digital Immigrant
 Founder of Interactive Connections
 Master of Arts in Educational
Technology and Religious Studies
 D.Min. in Parish Revitalization
 Educator in secondary education for 4 Years
 Pastoral Associate for 2 Years
 Diocesan Service for 16 Years
 Congregational Leadership for 4 Years
 Publishing Industry Electronic Media for 4 Years
 University Academic Technology and Campus Ministry for 7 Years
 New Media Formation since 1983 (30 Years)

3. What is Evangelization?
 Pope Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi
 “evangelization is in fact the face and vocation
proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She
exists to evangelize
 USCCB : Go and Make Disciples
 http://old.usccb.org/evangelization/goandmake/eng.shtml

4. What is Evangelization?
 Bringing the Good News of Jesus into every
human situation and seeking to convert
individuals and society by divine power of the
Gospel itself.

5. Goals for Evangelization
USCCB
 To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm
for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus they
freely share it with others
 To invite all people in the US whatever the social or
cultural background to hear the message of
salvation in Jesus Christ so that they may come to
join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith
 To foster gospel values in our society promoting the
dignity and the common good of our society, so that
our nation may continue to be transformed by the
saving power of Jesus

6. Goals for Evangelization
 Steeped in Prayer
 Focus on everyday life
 Evangelize Church goers with a deeper faith

7. What is Good News?
 Loving God that is intimately involved with
us
 Intermediary is Jesus
 Salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice
 God is with us still

8. Good News of Evangelization
 Evangelization is the deepest part of our
Catholic identity
 ENFLAME those who are already connected to
Christ
 INVITE others to join us – in doing so
 TRANSFORM the world

9. Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975)
 Goal for communications media - while social
communications can reach millions of people, there
remains a challenge of “piercing the conscience of each
individual, of implanting [the gospel] in his heart as
though he were the only person being addressed, with all
his most individual and personal qualities, and evoke an
entirely personal adherence and commitment” (45).
 The “person-to-person” form of encounter “remains valid
and important” and points to Jesus Christ’s own
encounters with individuals in the gospels (46). He
poignantly asks, “In the long run, is there any other way
of handing on the Gospel than by transmitting to another
person one’s personal experience of faith?”
http://www.capuchins.org/articles/Evan_Nunt_PPVI.pdf

10. ROME, MAY 5, 2011 (Zenit.org)
Evangelization in a world of
communications technology is the biggest
challenge the Vatican is facing today,
according to the president of the Pontifical
Council for Social Communications -
Archbishop Claudio Celli

11. New Culture Example
 400,000 primary school children in Uruguay studying on
laptops
 "From first grade," the Archbishop said, "they learn to
relate to and to know one another through the computer.
To find out something they go to Wikipedia, and they
connect from home with their friends. A child who lives
in connection with others, for example, understands
better what it means to be in communication." And he
will also be able "to understand better what the Mystical
Body of Christ is" because he will understand better what
it means to be in communication with the Church.
 Nevertheless, the Vatican official cautioned, a paradox
exists, because "while one is connected, at the same time
one is very alone."

12. Basic Problem:
According to Archbishop Celli
 How well is the Church able to
communicate and proclaim the Gospel in
this digital culture?

14. Digital Culture Creative Classroom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_bWNSEwe0U

16. The Digital World
• Language
• Culture
• Skill
http://energise2-0.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Digital-Revolution.jpg

17. Language
 Wiki • Text messaging
 Blog • Photo share
 vBlog • Video share
 Facebook • Podcasts
 Social Media • Webinars
 New Media • Personal Learning
 Twitter Network (PLN)
 Microblogging

19. How are people using New Media?
 80% of Americans use social media.
 68% of churchgoers want to connect with
their Church via social media.
 79% of all adults use the internet -- 95% of
young adults
 80% of Americans use email
 85% of adults own a cell phone
 87% of teens engage in electronic
communication.

20. New Media on the Internet
Every 60 seconds on the Internet:
 204 million emails are sent
 $83,000 in sales are made on Amazon
 20 million photos are viewed on Flickr
 100,000 new tweets are published
 277,000 people login to Facebook
 2 million search queries are made on Google
 30 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube
By 2015, the number of devices connected to the internet is expected
to reach twice that of the global population, and it will take you five
years to watch all the video content that is shared across the internet
in just a single second.
http:ub.theclickdepot.com/The-Click-Depot-Blog/bid/275797/Every-60-Seconds-on-the-Internet

21. New Media on the Internet
http:ub.theclickdepot.com/The-Click-Depot-Blog/bid/275797/Every-60-Seconds-on-the-Internet

22. What is “New Media”
 On-demand access to content any time,
anywhere, on any digital device
 Interactive user feedback
 Creative participation and community formation
 Creation
 Publication
 Distribution
 Consumption

23. What is “New Media”
 Digital
 Content manipulated
 Networkable
 Dense
 Compressible
 Interactive

24. New Media
 Websites
 Computer multimedia (video/audio)
 Video Games
 CD-Roms
 DVD
 NOT
 TV, feature films, magazines, books, paper-based
publications unless digital interactivity
Source: Wikipedia.com

25. Social Media
 Web-based and mobile technologies
 Turns communication into interactive
dialogue
 Easily accessible

26. Social Media
 Internet Magazines
 Internet forums
 Weblogs
 Social Blogs
 Microblogging
 Wikis
 Podcasts

27. Social Media
 Photo sharing sites
 Video sharing sites
 Social bookmarking sites

28. Social Media
 Six Different Types
 Collaborative projects (Wikipedia)
 Blogs and micro blogs (Twitter)
 Content Communities (YouTube)
 Social Networking (Facebook – LinkedIn)
 Virtual Game Worlds (World of Warcraft)
 Virtual Social Worlds (Second Life)

29. Social Media Technologies
 Blogs • Instant messaging
 Picture sharing • Music-sharing
 Vblogs • Crowdsourcing
 Wall-postings • Voice over IP
 Email

30. SKILL

31. Three skill sets of . . .
Technology
Communications Educational Information
Technology Technology Technology

32. Three skill sets of . . .
Technology
Communications
Educational Technology
Technology (CT has Information Technology
(The study and ethical
boomed in the recent (an industry that uses
practice of facilitating
past, with the Internet, computers, networking,
learning and improving
email, VOIP, and video software programming,
performance by creating,
conferencing. and other equipment and
using, and managing
Communication is possible processes to store,
appropriate technological
in a large variety of process, retrieve, transmit,
processes and resources)
mediums and technologies and protect information)
– social media)

33. Three skill sets of . . .
Technology
Communications
Technology (CT has
boomed in the recent
past, with the Internet,
email, VOIP, and video
conferencing.
Communication is possible
in a large variety of
mediums and technologies
– social media)

34. Why use social Media?
 St. Paul evangelized according to the media
of his time
 Bishop Sheen did the same with TV.
 Pope – Twitter

35. Our Media
 Go where the people are
 Reaches new audiences
 Provides information in the manner that we are
used to finding it
 Available and accessible

36. New Media – Authentic Voice?
 How can I remain confident that we are truly
communication THE Catholic faith and my OWN
versions of the Catholic faith? My solution is to
saturate my writings with Scripture and the
Church Fathers – but especially the Church
Fathers. If I am to write an article or post about
the Sacraments of Baptism, I have to begin by
admitting the following: What did the great
Fathers, theologians, and saints say about it?
Therefore I try to constantly glean authoritative
passages from Church history.
Taylor Marshall– Church in the new media – Brandon Vogt

37. The New Media -- TODAY
 We are expanding the message of Christ
and the apostles become our own
 NOT changing the message … but making it
relevant to our time

38. New Media – Right Tool
 Technology use
 General public
○ 2% innovators,
○ 14% early adopters
○ 34% early majority
○ 34% late majority
○ 16% laggards

39. New Media – Right Tool
 Technology Use among Catholics
 estimate 1% are innovators,
 9% early adopters,
 20% early majority,
 30% late majority,
 40% laggards
 Fr. Roderick Vonhogen – New Media

40. Helping Catholics to Embrace New
Media
 Educate
 Presentations, seminars, YouTube TRAINING
videos, newspaper columns, one-to-one witness,
Pope Benedict’s call to adopt new media
 Encourage
 Improve current modes of technology use
○ Email
○ Website

41. Helping Catholics to Embrace New
Media
 Encourage
 Adopt current modes of technology
 http://www.xt3.com
 Expose Excellence
 SHARE what you find

42. Helping Catholics to Embrace New
Media
 Evaluate
 Where are we now?
 Where we need to go?
 PLAN with experts
 Execute
 Build the idea of what “users” want
 Does not have to be expensive
 Use Guidelines by USCCB
 Social Networking Policy by your diocese

43. Helping Catholics to Embrace New
Media
 Extend
 Catholic TV
 Homilies through podcasts
 Parish blog, Facebook fanpage, twitter accounts
 Evangelize
 Go and make disciples – words of Christ
 Media is NOT the message

44. Experience of Church
 According to Matt Waner
 We need to evangelize the way our audience
wants to listen
 80% use some form of social media
 68% want to connect with church using social media
 Most regularly use email and text messaging to
communicate – most of these people do not read
parish bulletin – most are not registered with parish –
most don’t think about parish in between Sundays.

45. Experience of the Church
Pope Benedict XVI, message for the 44th World
Communication Day – May 2010
 Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new
technologies create deeper forms of relationship across
greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally
by putting the media ever more effectively at the service
of the Word. ….
 Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by
employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources
(images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites)
which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad
new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis.

46. Parish Website
 YOUR WEBSITE MATTERS!
 Official Presence
 Primary presence of WHO you are. Similar to
the sign out front.
 UP TO DATE
 Collaborative TEAM
 Engage target audience
 Create a “brand”
Opensourcecatholic.com

47. Parish Website
 Two fold purpose
 Visitors EASILY find information
 Connect with parishioners
○ Mailing lists
○ Email, phone number, registration information
○ ENGAGE them on facebook or twitter
○ ALL OF THE ABOVE

48. Parish Website
 Seek the guidance of professionals
 Really knows about building websites
 Spend more money on website than doughnuts
 Less than a car
 Within 4 seconds – find into
 EVERY director of ministries should update their
own page

49. Parish Website
 WHY SHOULD SOMEONE VISIT YOUR
WEBSITE?
 Build the site around that
○ Confession times
○ Mass times
○ On-line parish registration
○ Parish ministry information
○ Tell story of your parish
○ LINK TO THE DIOCESE SITE

50. Parish Website
 Reach people where they are
 Early missionaries WENT OUT to the people
 Email
 Unsubscribe
 Every subscription to ministry lists
 PRUDENT in use

51. Parish Website – Reach people
 Text messaging
 Bulk texting
 NEVER late at night
 Opt our of messaging for individual users
 DON’T give up

52. Parish Website – Engage People
 Engage their hearts FIRST
 "If your mission is to be truly effective—if the
words you proclaim are to touch hearts, engage
people's freedom and change their lives—you
must draw them into an encounter with persons
and communities who witness to the grace of
Christ by their faith and their lives," he said.
Pope Benedict XVI
http://www.americancatholic.org/news/report.aspx?id=2682

53. Parish Website – Engage People
 Communication PLAN
 Serious budget
 Hire someone
 Take notice of free services
 Leadership within the parish
 Catholic websites
○ http://the-american-catholic.com/2009/04/20/googles-top-
25-catholic-websites/

54. Rate Your Church Website
http://www.ccmag.com/2013_03/ccmag2013_03.pdf

55. Blog
 What is it?
 A personal journal published on a the Web
consisting of discrete entries or “posts”
 Displayed in reverse chronological order – recent
appears first
 Themed on a single subject
 Because of the interaction, part of social
networking

56. Blog
 Not only produce content but also build
social relations with their readers
 Different than newspapers – viewers can
comment on what is being written

57. Blog
 Post regularly
 Record talks presentations (podcasts – only
audio)
 Record homilies (video and/or audio)
 Viewers can access from home
 Church comes home
 More than Sunday

58. Blogs and Community
 Fuel true conversation
 Builds community
 Virtual choir
(http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_virtual_choir_2_0
00_voices_strong.html )
 while previous generations of moms gathered for Rosary
groups or play dates at catholic school playground,
today’s mothers tend to supplement their “real world”
friendships with the vibrant communities that have
cropped up around the Internet in places like
catholicmom.com – builds mutual trust, true dialogue,
and lasting friendship
Lisa Hendey

59. Blogs and Community
Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic
search for personal encounters with others,
provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers
such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel
existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual
world. In the search for sharing, for “friends”, there
is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and
not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial
public profile for oneself
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 45th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

60. Community Beliefs
 Contributions of each person are valuable
 Share openly and honestly.
 Be supportive
 Believing that we all have something to
contribute - perspectives, talent,
 Be grateful for contributions and for
participation. for the - just being there
 There are those you can help and those you
can learn from.
 AND Encourage more sharing

61. Facebook
 Huge part of lives
 500 million users (2010) – 70 languages
 73% of 12 – 17 years olds have at least one
profile
 7.5 million kids under 13
 Used by businesses, organizations, and
governments

62. Facebook
 Chat
 Share photos (100 million every day)
 Post videos
 Share personal news
 30 billion pieces of content monthly

63. Why use facebook?
 Socializing or “hanging out”
 Day-to-day news about their friends,
acquaintances, relatives, and peer groups
 Collaborating
 Validation or emotional support
 Self-expression and the identity exploration and
formation

64. Why use facebook?
 “Informal learning,” or learning outside of
formal settings such as school, including
learning social norms and social literacy
 Learning the technical skills of the digital
age,

65. Why use facebook?
 Discovering and exploring interests, both
academic and future professional interests
 Learning about the world
 Civic engagement – participating in causes
that are meaningful to them.

66. Twitter
 Twitter is an online social networking
service and microblogging service that
enables its users to send and read text-
based posts of up to 140 characters, known
as "tweets".
Wikipedia

67. Visit to Twitter
 Username
 Tweets
 Hastags
 Following people
 Direct messages
 Shortened URLS

68. Podcasts
 Digital media consisting of an episodic
series of audio files
 From "broadcast" and "pod" from the success of
the iPod, as podcasts are often listened to on
portable media players.
 http://catholicboard.com/utspodcast/introduction

69. Podcasts
 www.SQPN.com – Star Quest Production
Network
 www.CatholicAudio.blogspot.com Sonitus
Sanctus
 www.CatholiciCast.com Catholic Cast

70. Three skill sets of . . .
Technology
Educational Technology
(The study and ethical
practice of facilitating
learning and improving
performance by
creating, using, and
managing appropriate
technological processes
and resources)

71. Digital Discipleship

72. National Educational
Technology Standards (NETS)
Facilitate and inspire
Student Learning and
Creativity.
Design and Develop Digital
Engage in Professional Age Learning
Growth and Leadership Experiences and
Assessments
Promote and Model Digital
Citizenship Model Digital Age Work and
Learning
and Responsibility
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2

73. Three skill sets of . . .
Technology
Information Technology
(an industry that uses
computers, networking,
software programming,
and other equipment
and processes to store,
process, retrieve,
transmit, and protect
information)

74. Technology Committees
Information Communications
Technology Technology
Educational Technology

75. 7 Keys to Use Media as Catholic
• Balance
• Attitude
• Dignity
• Truth-filled
• Skillfully Developed
• Experience-based
• Inspiring

76. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Balance: How the Church says it
 must take into consideration the entire situation or
circumstances, namely, the persons, place, time and
other conditions under which communication takes
place and which can affect or totally change its
propriety” (Inter Mirifica, No. 4).
 Media consumers “should exercise self-control. They
must not allow themselves to be so beguiled by the
charms of the media’s products or by the curiosity
that these arouse that they neglect urgent duties or
simply waste time” (Communio et Progressio, No. 52).

77. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Attitude
 Critical awareness of the message
 Why it matters?
○ Message affects us for good and for ill
 How to?
○ Research and observation
 Who makes it
 Look for behaviors that are encouraged, discouraged,
rewarded, or mocked. Ask, “Does the use prompt
Christian behavior?”

78. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Attitude: What the Church Says
 “The means of communication ... enrich men’s
minds if their character and function is
understood. On the other hand, men who do not
sufficiently appreciate their importance, may
find their liberty diminished” (Communio et
Progressio, No. 64).

79. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Dignity of the Human Person
 Creating and using media that upholds, reflects,
and promotes and defends the dignity of the
human person
 Why it matters?
○ Media exists to serve human person:
 To enlighten us about:
- Who we are
- To spread information
- Build human community
- Love more fully

80. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Dignity of the Human Person
 How to?
○ Pornography
○ Online communities treat real people like objects
○ When face-to-face ONLY answer cell phone or
respond to text messages when necessary
○ Don’t post intimate details about family
○ Use technology to spread gossip

81. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 What the Church Says:
 The human person and the human community
are the end and measure of the use of the media
of social communication; communication should
be by persons to persons for the integral
development of persons” (Ethics in
Communication, No. 21).

82. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Truth-filled
 What it means?
○ Conform to reality and lead others to reality
 Why it matters?
○ Connects with people on level of emotion
 Truth more compelling
 Lies more believable
 Pope Paul IV – teachers of faith are the witnesses to faith
– how are we using media?

83. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Truth-filled
 How to?
○ Use facebook to post links interesting to faith
○ Don’t avoid difficult discussions on-line
○ Never pass another work as your own
○ Exercise same charity with folks on-line as with
face to face

84. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 What Church says
 “Every communication must comply with certain
essential requirements and these are sincerity,
honesty and truthfulness. Good intentions and a
clear conscience do not thereby make a
communication sound and reliable. A
communication must state the truth”
(Communio et Progressio, No. 17).

85. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Inspires
 What it means?
○ Can help us in our journey to heaven
○ Pointing us in the right way
○ Inspire us for the good
 How to?
○ Avoid media that inspired in the wrong direction
○ Feature on blog or facebook songs that inspire
○ Don’t use media to “kill time”

86. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 What Church says
 “Today it takes no great stretch of the
imagination to envisage the earth as an
interconnected globe humming with electronic
transmissions — a chattering planet nestled in
the provident silence of space. The ethical
question is whether this is contributing to
authentic human development and helping
individuals and peoples to be true to their
transcendent destiny” (Ethics in Internet, No. 1).

87. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Skillfully Developed
 What it means?
○ The media that Catholics develop should be GOOD
– as compared to the secular media
 Why it matters?
○ Packing matters
 Increases credibility and believability as well as hold
attention
 How?
○ Do your research – visit websites

88. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 What the Church Says:
 :“[Catholic communicators] have a duty in
conscience to make themselves competent in
the art of social communication in order to be
effective in their work. ... People today have
grown so used to the entertaining style and
skillful presentation of communications by the
media that they are intolerant of what is
obviously inferior in any public presentation”
(Communio et Progressio, Nos. 15, 130).

89. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 Experienced – based
 Related to human experience
○ Rooted in realities of the world
○ Appeals to our senses
 How to
○ Embed videos on blog or social networking page
○ Incorporate stories about self and life on blog
○ You have a sense of you

90. 7 keys to use Media as a Catholic
 What the Church says:
 “While he was on earth Christ revealed himself as
the Perfect Communicator. Through his ‘incarnation,’
he utterly identified himself with those who were to
receive his communication, and he gave his message
not only in words but in the whole manner of his life.
He spoke from within, that is to say, from out of the
press of his people. He preached the divine message
without fear or compromise. He adjusted to his
people’s way of talking and to their patterns of
thought. And he spoke out of the predicament of
their time” (Communio et Progressio, No. 11).

91. Basic Problem:
According to Archbishop Celli
 How well is the Church able to
communicate and proclaim the Gospel in
this digital culture?

92. Caroline Cerveny, SSJ-
TOSF, D. Min.
c.cerveny@verizon.net
https://www.facebook.com/c.cerveny
https://twitter.com/ccerveny
@ccerveny
http://acyberpilgrim.org
http://catechesis20.org
http://digitalcatechesis.ning.com
Resource: Evangelization in the Digital Age,
Sr. Geralyn Schmidt, SCC