![Jump on the social media bandwagon by Matt Hamm [via Flickr]](https://teaminitiation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2945559128_53078d246b1.jpg "Jump on the social media bandwagon by Matt Hamm [via Flickr]")
In the past month, the Office of Communications of the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) published a document on social media guidelines. The publication of the guidelines coincided with a recent conversation among the team members of TeamRCIA—Diana, Nick, Rita, Miriam, and Rita—during which we discussed our desire to grow our Web site with more interaction, creative discussion, and peer support among all who visit our site. We want to become a virtual community of initiation ministers who minister to one another. What if TeamRCIA could become a dynamic, cross-cultural, international, community of support, encouragement, education, and resourcing for the work of faithfully implementing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults!
Evangelization and catechesis
The guidelines document recognizes that the world of digital communication [has] almost limitless expressive capacity that can enhance the work of evangelization, catechesis, and apostolic action (note the echoes of Paragraph #75 here!) in ways that we have yet to imagine. The Church can use social media, the document reads, to encourage respect, dialogue, and honest relationships—in other words, ‘true friendship.’ We know that TeamRCIA is already a community of over 8,000 friends and colleagues with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Moving forward, we hope to both build and experience our community in new and exciting ways.
Recognizing that social media offer both opportunities and challenges, the guidelines document calls out three in particular: visibility, community, and accountability. Indeed, we at TeamRCIA are striving to become more visible as a consistent, user-friendly, online resource for those who strive to be faithful to the vision of the Rite and its effective implementation in a variety of settings. Our hope for community building through future webinars, real-time interaction, and online discussion and consultation inspires us to seek new offerings in the near future. Accountable to one another and to the call of Vatican II for the restoration of the Catechumenate, we will continue to grapple with the cultural, social, economic, and individual issues that call for our pastoral response.
Share your thoughts
Your suggestions for helping us achieve our goals, and your response to this post would be most welcome!
Thanks Miriam! I think the rise of social media has huge implications for initiation ministry. As the USCCB guidelines point out, there has been a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. The elders among us grew up with a one-way, top-down communication system. They youngers have never experienced that. Unfortunately, many cathechumenate processes are still modeled on an older communications delivery system. The pervasiveness of social media will challenge that model and eventually lead to catechumenate processes modeled more on a two-way, relationship-based communications system. I hope it happens sooner rather than later!
I think this is a great idea from two perspectives. As a resource person for the diocese I field many questions regarding RCIA and having a forum for asking questions and getting lots of feedback would be very helpful. As the coordinator of RCIA at my parish, I am looking to find alternative methods of keeping in contact with our younger catechumens and candidates as they travel, go home for the summer, etc. We have discussed starting a blog for faith sharing and to reflect on the Sunday readings. Hearing other people’s ideas on this topic would be great. Thanks for starting the conversation.
I was struck a few months ago, when a Holy Week meditation drew a comment from a Slovak artist and art historian living in the UK. She had seen the picture I posted with the meditation (by an artist whose work she had studied), and wrote in. What a reminder that we never know who is visiting this site, or what their eye will see. Part of the wonder of social communication is in discovering the fact that all sorts of people do come and visit.
Miriam, I am fascinated to know that TeamRCIA has 8,000 readers. How cool would it be if we heard from 1,000 of them in comments over the next year? I’m ready to set it as a goal! My hunch is that people lurk rather than post not because they have nothing to say, but because they haven’t yet heard their cue to come into the conversation. But we know you are out there, and that’s a great feeling.
Ditto to the comments Nick made above, as well as to Miriam’s excellent post. I clicked onto that document, and was interested to see the mass media described as a one way conversation whereas social communication is, well, social. It’s a good development.
Rita, I love your very concrete and practical goal of 1000 (at least!) from our TeamRCIA community engaging in dialog on our website this year. Such sharing by so many who share the same passion for the full and effective implementation of the Rite will make all of us richer and certainly positively influence our work in evangelization and catechesis for discipleship. Thanks!
As you all have noted, there are endless possibilities for TeamRCIA and for local catechumenate teams! I want to echo Terry’s request to hear ideas on how folks are using social media with catechumens, candidates,and RCIA teams. I haven’t actually taken the plunge and done anything yet in my parish. I need encouragment and dialogue as Miriam and the USCCB guidelines have said!
One more thought that really resonated with me. The document said that social networks are very effective at “addressing the human longing for meaningful community.” Isn’t that what are parishes implementing RCIA are suppose to do, too? Another good connection. (only 995 more comments to reach the goal).
The title of this post is ‘Help TeamRCIA go social’ and it seeks to address how RCIA teams can best communicate and socialize. The primary means mentioned here is to utilize many of today’s social networking ‘digital’ tools. I’m new to TeamRCIA and to my own parish RCIA team and don’t know how much interaction there is between the different parishes. But why not complement those tools with old fashion face to face social gatherings? How about a monthly or quarterly round robin 3 inning softball tournament among local RCIA teams? Or a group bike ride? Follow each of these with a BBQ. How about taking in a Giants or A’s game? And my favorite, how about golf tournament with a nice get together at the 19th hole? Not all will participate in one particular event or the other but if you have enough different and various events, you should get a good overlap of interests so that all may participate. Some or all of these activities are very hard to organize and maybe can’t be done. And of course, it can only be done more or less on the local area level. But perhaps it’s worth looking into. Keep in mind, this is just one more possible tool. Just a thought. 994 to go.
What a great idea Art! Thanks for chiming in.
Thanks, Art, for your comment and sharing some great ideas for community building. What if … we kept dreaming about the possibilities for virtual community and mutual support while at the same time we had your creative energy and ideas for building the “incarnational community” right where we live and breathe and have our being. Imagine the impact on our sense of what it means to really be the Body of Christ. Thank you!
Never ending possibilities today on the web. I too am new at the social networking aspect and plan to take the plunge as well. I’m sure that the Spirit is moving along with this new adventure. 993 to go
Thanks for chiming in Elaine. It is certainly an adventure!
Last year I formed a Facebook group for our RCIA. Much to my dismay, it did not take off. Reflecting on it, I think that my scope was too narrow. As we begin this year, I look to ask the sponsors to help drive the conversation and then work in parishioners that are not formally part of our RCIA team. My goal is to drive that sense of community with the parish at large not just with in the RCIA community. My idea is to weekly send some scripture or reflection that will tie with the upcoming BOW. From that, my hope is that the conversation will be about what the passage means to each person individually. I would love to hear other ideas or what others are currently doing with Facebook. 992 to go!