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Editor’s note: On July 11 of this year, Father Dowd was named Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal (Dowd talks about this experience on his blog). At just 40 years of age, he is the youngest Bishop in Canada. Congratulations Father Dowd!
In an era when most large international companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon, it’s not surprising to see that even the Catholic Church is interested in web 2.0.
Pope Benedict XVI is the first to have issued a message about social media. The Catholic Diocese of France uses its Twitter profile to post prayers. Closer to home, St. Joseph’s Oratory has created an interactive website about Saint Brother André. Visitors to the site can virtually “climb” the stairs of the Oratory and learn about the life of this new Saint through short texts, images and videos. You can even become a fan of Saint Brother André Bessette on Facebook and read updates about his canonization on Twitter.
TP1 recently met with Thomas Dowd, a Montreal priest who is completely at ease with new technologies and the proud author of Canada’s first blog written by a religious. Originally trained as an engineer, Father Dowd now shares his daily experiences on the blog, interacts with readers regularly and encourages open discussion both on the site and in his parish. According to Father Dowd, sharing experiences through the blog helps him to project a more open and accessible persona – something that is not always easy during Mass!
Father Dowd told us about a conversation he’d had with one of his readers: “As part of a class he was taking, this person had to interview someone that he completely disagreed with. I was that person.” The reader in question, a homosexual atheist born into the Jewish faith, chose Father Dowd because after having read the blog, felt that Father Dowd made religion seem “reasonable”. Stereotypes are so common nowadays, but even more so when it comes to religion. Father Dowd believes that his blog is a powerful medium for creating relationships that, over time, can become stronger and eventually cut through these stereotypes.
Father Dowd obviously recognizes the ability of social media to bring people together and create links. But he also understands that it is the perfect tool for reaching a larger audience and is convinced that the Church will learn how to use it to its advantage in the coming years. Social media serving the masses, indeed!
Merry Christmas!
Interview conducted by Anthony Di Domizio.
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