“So you just…sit in your office and tweet all day?”
I have worked for the Diocese of Bridgeport for more than two wonderful years, serving an incredible Bishop, and reporting on events with enormous spiritual significance, yet I must hear this quote once a day. I don’t hold it against people. Social media is so new, so dynamic, and so immersive that many people choose either to ignore it, or to view it with outright hostility. And who can blame them? There have been times when I myself can’t stand social media – even my personal accounts are updated infrequently, because the last thing I want to do when I get home is more social media.
Though there is a lot “wrong” with social media, I believe this ministry is vital to the Catholic Church. I can sit here and cite our statistics, or examples of how social media has succeeded in our Diocese, but that still wouldn’t capture the main reason social media is so important to the Church.
In the cesspool that can be one’s Facebook or Twitter feed, there is a lot that can cause one to be anxious. Through the barrage of constant negativity, we the Church need to get our voice out there too. Yes, there are innumerable people suffering. Yes, people seem to be quick to judge these days. Yes, it seems we are divided more than ever. But there is a remedy to all of that. There is a person upon whom we can place all our sufferings, all our wants, and all our cares. His name is Jesus. His love is beyond description. And our goal is to re-introduce you to Him, one Facebook post at a time.
So yes, it is nice to sit in my office and Tweet/Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat all day for Jesus. In fact, it is the best job in the world. I have the incredible privilege to wake up every morning and speak to thousands of people about how amazing the Catholic Church is and how fortunate we are to have this fantastic Diocesan community. Every day begins with new opportunities to bring people closer to Jesus and His Church. How amazing is that?
By John Grosso
Social Media Leader, Diocese of Bridgeport
