The following is an article written in the May edition of the Catholic Times of the Archdiocese of Montreal (not to be confused with the Catholic New Times of Toronto!). I just got a copy today, and it will be going out to the parishioners at the masses this weekend.
Title: ‘Blogging’ the Gospel in cyberspace
What does a priest do when he’s not preaching at Church on Sunday? For those curious about the daily life and reflection of a man at the pulpit, the answer is: blogging.
At least that’s one of the many activities Fr. Thomas Dowd of St. Thomas à Becket Parish in Pierrefonds is doing when he’s not offering sacramental ministry or teaching theology at Concordia University.
A Web log or blog is a personal Web site, updated regularly, where the host publishes his or her thoughts, opinions and reflections, and where readers can share their reactions and comments.
Dowd has had his blog, which is called Waiting in Joyful Hope, since November 2003. While there are hundreds of Christian blogs, Dowd says he is the first Catholic priest in Canada to have published his reflections in this new form of publishing-cum-personal dairy. About 150 people visit his blog daily.
For Dowd this interactive Web site, where readers can respond with comments and questions, is all about communication. “The point is to let people see what a priest does. They see us on Sunday but don’t know what we do the rest of the week,” said Dowd, who was ordained in 2001.
Going through the entries on his blog, one might find Dowd’s reflections on the meaning of forgiveness and on what exactly it means to “serve God in total obedience.”
However, the 34-year-old priest explained: “It’s not always heavy theology.” The priest humorously blogged about his experience of alientation at a mall while wearing his clerical shirt. Apparently, he and his rosary beads garnered more attention than the Goth-style teenage girls, with their numerous body piercings, who were hanging out nearby.
Dowd also shares his experiences of visiting the sick, celebrating weddings and funerals, making trips to holy sites and more.
The site can even be a tool for action. In one entry, Dowd reprints a letter he wrote to a chief executive at eBay, reacting to the sale of a consecrated host.
Apparently, the host in question was allegedly taken from a service with Pope John Paul II in 1998. Dowd encouraged readers to copy his letter or write their own and send it to the executive at the address posted on his site.
The blog is also a tool for creating discussion and dialogue among readers. There are “comment boxes” under each posting, where people can respond to Dowd and to each other. Dowd especially enjoys the candid discussions that take place on the site. His postings on the same-sex marriage issue were an especially hot topic. “Not everyone agrees with me,” said Dowd. “That’s okay. The Internet allows for dialogue where it might not be possible otherwise. Anonymity can help people be willing to get their ideas out there.”
According to Dowd, his blog is a virtual community comprising real people. “The real motivation is to bring the Good News,” said Dowd. “The Church is meant to be a communicator.” In one of his last messages, Pope John Paul II affirmed that the Church needed to look to new media as a way of communicating with its members and spreading its message. Dowd agrees completely and is confident that “if Jesus were alive today, he’d have a blog!”
Before entering the Montreal seminary in 1995, Dowd worked in a software engineering form. “It was a dream job,” said the priest. “But I knew it would never be enough. I didn’t want to lead a mediocre life.” And so, he heeded the call of God, and eventually, the call of the blog.
Waiting in Joyful Hope has received a lot of attention and was nominated for several Catholic blog awards, which are conferred by www.cybercatholics.com and Ave Maris Stella Publications. His nominations fell under the categories Best Web Site by a Priest, Best Catholic Blog, and Most Theological Blog. His blog hasn’t won any awards, but it keeps getting hits. It had more than 11,000 visitors as of January.
Tamara Kramer
To read Fr. Dowd’s latest postings, go to http://fatherdowd.blogspot.com
So, whaddya think? It’s not bad, actually. There are a couple of misquotes, such as when I’m quoted as saying “If Jesus were alive today, he’d have a blog!” What I really said was “If Jesus were walking the Earth today, he’d have a blog”. They sound the same, but they are not: Jesus *is* alive, he’s just not walking the Earth, and I’m usually quite careful about making fine distinctions like that. There are a few other minor glitches, but otherwise I’m fairly happy with it. If it encourages others to stake their claim in cyberspace to proclaim the Gospel, I’m all for that!