Mobile+Devices+and+Ministry+-+Is+My+Parish+Ready?

Assignment #1
#|Mobile Devices and Ministry - Is My Parish Ready?

Expected time to complete assignment: 10 minutes

Is my parish ready to embrace and use these tools in learning environments or ministry? Why or Why not?

Please respond with the following information - name, parish, city, state and your response.

Name: Susan St. Lucy Parish, Anytown, MO
 * EXAMPLE: **

Response: As a parish we are just beginning to realize that this mobile technology is more available to us. We have a youth minister that really understands and uses technology with our youth ministry group. Our RCIA coordinator knows about Poll Everywhere, and is using this service which allows a respondent to use a cell phone in polls. But overall, we are still trying to figure out what to do. A majority of our #|ministers and catechists are hesitant to use technology in their teaching or ministry. --

--- Please post your examples here: Name: Claire McManus Diocese of Fall River, MA Our diocese is very inconsistent in its embrace of technology. There is no centralized plan for using technology as it is up to the individual offices. My office, Faith Formation, has tried to move into the 21st century and continues to research ways to enhance catechetical programs using whatever tools are readily available. Some of our parishes have moved ahead, and we now have one that is experimenting with a flipped classroom, taking advantage of the omnipresent smart phones among their HS Confirmation candidates. Our Catholic schools are moving ahead at a much faster pace.

Name: Melissa Findley St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Altamonte Springs, FL Our parish is ready to embrace and use these tools - we have already started. Our Pastoral Associate, Lois Locey, is taking these courses to lead the parish further in becoming fully immersed in the Digital word!

Name: Angela Jackson Parish: Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

The largest demographic of Holy Rosary is baby boomers with no idea of the newest technology in the market. It goes back to having Visionary Leadership on how we can use the latest and greatest technology to help with all avenues of parish life.

Name: Tanya LeSane Parish Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

Is my parish ready to embrace technology and use it in ministry? I can answer that question with a simple "No!" Our parish is composed mainly of older parishioners. Most of these people are still using flip phones and those who are have newer phones do not know how to operate. In saying, I believe that we could help them become more aware of the advantages of increasing their knowledge in this area. But we also do have youth and young adults who would love to embrace these tools. We need people in leadership to get people more familiar with these tools and show people the benefits of embracing this technology.

Name: Lois Locey St. Mary Magdalen, Altamonte Springs

Yes, We are working very hard and have taken the initial steps to embrace it. We are carefully situating ourselves to fully embrace it -- from having staff members take the bootcamp, to upgrade the technology in our our buildings (a $100K upgrade was just completed in the church this lent), creating teams of discipiles who work on getting the "message" out. We still have a long road ahead of us, but we are there! We are looking for "Altamonte Alex" (the 27 to 40 something) who isn't going to church, and working at bringing him and his family back to the parish family. That requires us to embrace this!

Name: Rose Mary Saraiva St. Michael Parish, Fall River, MA Yes my parish is ready, we have begun to use video compilations for prayer services. It is still a slow process, but fortunately we have many young people in ministry. Catechizing, lectoring and assisting in so many ways, and a few have offered to take on some of the creative aspects of using the media tools at our disposal. Our parish has a website, facebook page, and a newly created website for the faith formation program. There are so many possibilities to reach those people on the rim of our parish, and the key is to go where they are.