BRIDGEPORT—The Diocese of Bridgeport hosted a virtual Town Hall Meeting Thursday, April 20 begining at 9 am. Click to watch the meeting that took place on the diocesan Facebook page (Diocese of Bridgeport).
The Town Hall Meeting, a first for the diocese, will featured panelists Patrick Donovan, director of the Leadership Institute; Patrick Turner, director of Strategic and Pastoral Planning; and Pam Rittman, director of the Annual Catholic Appeal.
The panel was hosted by John Grosso, director of Social Media.
“The reason for the meeting is simple,” said Grosso. “We want to hear from the faithful. How can we assist you better? What can we do to communicate better? How can our ministries serve you and reach you more effectively? What do you need more of to be spiritually nourished?”
He expects most questions to come from parishioners throughout the diocese, but says that he also hopes to hear from Catholics who are not currently practicing their faith.
“Of course we want to hear from parishioners, but we also want to hear from those who feel disconnected from the Church. If you know someone who has stopped going to Mass, or who might be on the fringes of the faith, encourage them to submit a question. We want to hear from them, because we want to serve them too.”
Though Grosso encourages questions to be asked during the live-stream itself, early submissions are also being encouraged in order to ensure nothing is left out.
Under Grosso’s leadership the diocese has developed an active social media presence. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano recently went over the 10,000 mark in “likes” on Facebook and also has 3,540 followers on Twitter. The diocesan Facebook page has 5,309 likes with an average weekly reach of 25,000 people.
Likewise, the diocese recorded 239,000 sessions on its website (www.bridgeportdiocese.org) last year with an average duration of 1:57 minutes.
“Social media is a new, dynamic, immersive resource for communication. Though there is a lot ‘wrong’ with social media, the bishop believes this ministry is vital to the Catholic Church. It brings the Church to the marketplace of ideas and the important conversations in our culture. It puts us right where we need to be. Our hope is that the Town Hall Meeting will further expand communication within the diocese and become an online community that engages people in dialogue that both provides information and support their faith,” Grosso said.
(If people are unable to participate in the live stream, they can submit questions in advance, either by direct message on the diocesan Facebook, or by emailing TownHallMeeting@diobpt.org.)
