Top 20 Catholic Bloggers of 2011

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From the Aggie Catholic, the Newman Club of Texas A&M University

Top 20 Catholic Bloggers of 2011

(in no particular order)
[Three with Minnesota connections!!! Congratulations to them]

• Jennifer Fulwiler - Conversion Diary and National Catholic Register.
  One of the best bloggers on the scene today. Always thinking deeply.
• Deacon Greg Kandra - The Deacon's Bench.
  How he finds all the stuff he does, I will never know. I think he must have dozens of websites open at once 24 hours a day.
• Ed Peters - In the Light of the Law.
  Dr. Peters was my canon law prof and made canon law interesting. He does it on the blog as well. Former canon lawyer for the Diocese of Duluth, now in that position for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
  
• Carl Olson - Ignatius Insight Scoop.
  Books, music, culture, and more. I have no idea how Carl reads as much as he does or listens to as much music as he does. Must help to work where he does.
• Patrick Madrid - PatrickMadrid.com
  Patrick has been writing for a long time, but he only started blogging recently. He has found his blogging voice quickly. His dry wit is always entertaining.
• Fr. Z - What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  Doesn't put up with fluff, hype or messing with the liturgy. He has the most rabid followers. Former SPS seminarian; good friend to many in Minnesota
  
• Fr. Dwight Longenecker - Standing on My Head.
  Fr. Dwight shines most brightly when he takes on difficult subjects head on. He isn't shy about them either.
• Rocco Palmo - Whispers in the Loggia
  The #1 Catholic insider blog.
• Elizabeth Scalia - The Anchoress.
  Politics, religion, faith, and how it applies to life - wrapped up in one place.
• Mark Shea - Catholic and Enjoying It and National Catholic Register.
  Mark is probably the most prolific Catholic blogger. He posts on just about every topic there is all over the place.
• Patrick and Matthew Archbold - Creative Minority Report and National Catholic Register.
  Funny, irreverent, interesting, and I think I am the lost Archbold brother.
• Thomas Peters - American Papist / CatholicVote.org
  A very influential blogger who is widely read. Son of Ed Peters, above; born in Duluth.
  
• Brandon Vogt - The Thin Veil.
  New media, young Catholics and more.
• Jimmy Akin - National Catholic Register and Jimmy Akin.org.
  Jimmy likes details and being thorough and complete. I appreciate that.
• Danielle Bean - DanielleBean.com and Faith and Family Live.
  Danielle does it all. Mom. Wife. Editor. Writer. Blogger. All of that stuffed with wisdom and practical advice.
• Taylor Marshall - Canterbury Tales.
  Posts items you won't see anywhere else.
• Jeff Miller - The Curt Jester.
  Still making us laugh after many years. Yet, his best stuff is when he gets serious.
• Matt Warner - Fallible Blogma and National Catholic Register.
  Matt has great stuff, he justs needs to post more frequently. Your readers want more Matt!
• Simcha Fisher - National Catholic Register and I Have to Sit Down.
  One of the best all-around Catholic writers blogging today. I love her stuff.
• The Ironic Catholic.
  Just read her. Theology Professor at St. Mary's U in Winona, Mom, and Catholic Worker volunteer.
  

Social media use, new approaches to evangelization among Communications Day topics

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Archbishop John Nienstedt welcomed about 525 parish and school leaders and priests to Archdiocesan Communications Day Oct. 13 and told them the church must use all means of communication to continue its mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“We are committed to embracing social media,” he said during the gathering at Pax Christi in Eden Prairie with the theme “Ever Ancient, Ever New.” He added that the archdiocese is working on unified protocols to ensure better communication with parishes, schools and parishioners.

The local church, he said, has three “high-level goals” of improved communication:

• evangelization and re-evangelization, the fundamental mission of the church;

• fostering improved communications between the chancery and parishes, schools and other organizations; and

• making a commitment “to telling our story — maintaining good public relations and providing accurate information about the events and initiatives of this local church.”

Reaching today’s Catholics

The day — a collaborative effort of The Catholic Spirit, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Coalition of Ministries Associations — included sessions featuring several national speakers.

John Allen Jr., senior National Catholic Reporter correspondent who is frequently seen on CNN addressing Catholic issues, outlined the challenges the church faces from a worldwide perspective in getting out its message. He also noted the qualities it must use to be successful, such as patience, availability, universality and humor.

Paul Henderson, director of planning and operations with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Communications Department, told participants the role of church leaders is changing.

He said developments in new media, which encourage interactive participation among users, are changing the role of leaders from being gatekeepers to facilitating and mentoring communication and dialogue.

Lino Rulli, host of “The Catholic Guy” show on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, gave the under-40 perspective. To reach people from 18 to 40, church communicators must remember what it is like to be their age, he said. Young adults need to have someone they can relate to, someone who understands their questions like, “Why is it important to go to Mass every Sunday?” and “Why should someone go to confession and tell their sins to a priest.”

Rulli’s answer: “I want to be right with God. I want to know there is a plan for my life and peace in my life.”

“Youth can relate to this,” he said.

Rules of the new media road

Blogger Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com, and Matthew Warner, founder of flockNote.com, TweetCatholic.com and a National Catholic Register blogger, led an afternoon session on “harnessing the power of new media in your ministry.”

Noting that 80 percent of Americans use social media like Facebook and Twitter, Hendey and Warner presented five new media rules of ministry communication:

1. The parishioner is in control.

Communicators must respect parishioners’ time and attention and make it easy for them to connect, Warner said. Church communicators must speak to people in ways they want, often through social media, and listen more than talk.

2. Your website matters.

It’s the “home base” for new media efforts and leaves a lasting first impression about a parish or school.

3. Reach people where they already are.

Having a social media presence alone is not enough. There must be engagement and dialogue with social media users to make connections and create meaningful relationships.

4. Don’t give up.

Parishes and schools should tap into local talent and resources for help and ideas, Hendey said.

5. Engage their hearts first.

Technology will not bring people back to the church, people will, Warner said. Church communicators can seek to inspire others and build meaningful relationships through social media and other means.

Lou Carbone, a leader of the experience management movement and author of “Clued In, How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again & Again” spoke about the importance of personal experience and its impact on how people feel about a business or organization like the church.

A self-identified “satellite Catholic” who has struggled with the changes in the church following the Second Vatican Council, Carbone told a heartwarming story of how a priest created a positive experience for his daughter who sought to get married in the church. Such positive experiences are what the church needs to cultivate.

The day also included a video on the theology of communication narrated by Father Jan Michael Joncas, a priest of the archdiocese and associate professor of Catholic studies and theology at the University of St. Thomas, and a social and digital media best practices panel.

For resources from Archdiocesan Communications Day, including the PowerPoint presentations of some presenters, visit the event’s web page.

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You might also like:

• Fostering religious literacy is among church’s top communications challenges
• Social media here to stay
• Did you see what Father just posted?
• Going ‘viral’: Use social media to spread the Good News

The Catholic Spirit

Archdiocesan Communications Day Audio clips and Resources

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[Clayton Emmer] was able to attend a day-long conference last Thursday on leveraging media technologies in the service of the Church’s mission. This event, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, was very well planned, well attended, and well executed.

Matthew Warner of flockNote.com, who was one of the presenters and panelists, blogged about his experience here.

When I have more time, I’ll post some highlights.

[Clayton] I've recorded all of the talks using my iPhone. While the quality of some of the audio is not great — especially (and unfortunately) the lunchtime presentation by John Allen, Jr. — I’ve made all of it available as an audio podcast feed here:

feeds.feedburner.com/communicationsday2011

The Catholic Spirit has many of the resources from the day available at the following link:

thecatholicspirit.com/communicationsday2011

Definitely worth your time if you’re interested in ways to serve your parish or church organization with some of the new media of communication. Lots to think about.

The Feedburner talks:

• Communion and Communication: The Work of the Church - Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:00:00 CDT

• John Allen, Jr. - Church Communications: Challenges and Opportunities

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:00:00 CDT

• Paul Henderson - Church Communications: Challenges and Opportunities

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:20:00 CDT

• Lino Rulli - Church Communications: Challenges and Opportunities

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:40:00 CDT

• Panel Discussion - Church Communications: Challenges and Opportunities

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:00:00 CDT

• John Allen, Jr. - Trends in the Future Church

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:00:00 CDT

• LIsa Hendey and Matthew Warner - Harnessing the Power of New Media in Your Ministry

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:00:00 CDT

• Local Expert Panel - Harnessing the Power of New Media in Your Ministry

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:00:00 CDT

• Lou Carbone - Managing Experience: Implications for Your Ministry

  Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:00:00 CDT

  
  

Archdiocesan Communications Day - St. Paul & Minneapolis

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I just returned from Communications Day 2011 in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It was a full-day event for parish, school and ministry leaders about sharing the Good News via Social and Digital media.

I’d never been to Minnesota. Unfortunately, I was only there for one day, but I must say the weather was perfect and the people were lovely and welcoming. I was honored to be one of the presenters, along with my good friend Lisa Hendey and some other speakers you may have heard of, like Lino Rulli (The Catholic Guy), John Allen Jr. (author and journalist), Paul Henderson (USCCB) and Lou Carbone (“experience” engineer).

What I liked about the event:

1) It was a really good mix of various perspectives on communication within and as the Church.

2) It was fun.

3) It was extremely well organized, managed and emceed.

4) It was well attended. I think there were between 500-600 parish/school/ministry leaders from around the diocese and neighboring dioceses.

5) I enjoyed great conversation and a meal (or two) with some wonderful people. I also got to drink a beer (or two) with Lino Rulli and Lisa Hendey. I got to see a picture of Lino’s friend Goob.

6) I didn’t say “uhm,” too much. I don’t think. And I yammered on too long about the same thing only a few times.

7) I got to hear Lino sing.

8) I was reminded that the work of the Church is filled with messy interruptions because we’re messy people. And the only reason our Church is still here as a final bastion of truth, goodness and beauty is because God loves us enough to have made it so. And I love it.

9) I was also reminded that there are a lot of people out there who need the Church and don’t know it. And that one thoughtful gesture you make today to change that person’s “experience” of the Church could change that person’s life forever (literally).

10) I was affirmed in the fact that there are a lot of dedicated and amazing ground-level leaders in our Church who don’t get new media - but want to, because they know it will help the Church.

11) I was also affirmed in the fact that there are some diocesan leaders out there now who do get it and are working to make it better.

12) Finally, I love that the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, The Catholic Spirit and the coalition of those who put the event on are planning to continue the event in the future. They are also putting together a group of people from their diocese who want to come together, share best practices and help each other better communicate and build relationships in our Church. And particularly via the use of new and social media, of course.

I would encourage you to tell your own diocese to contact the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and ask them how to duplicate an event like this in your own diocese (this event was done very well). Every diocese should have one every year. And every diocese should be recruiting attendees from it to build a year-round community that collaborates and shares best practices as you forge ahead as pioneers on the digital continent - together.

There are many more of these kinds of events to come in the Church. And that’s a very good thing.

You can check out the tweets from the event by clicking here (#CommDay11). And you can take a look at the setup here. National Catholic Register