« Scheduled Downtime Friday and Saturday | Home | For the Sake of The Song: December Songs of Faith »

Things that Make Me Go Hmmm…

By Sean | December 11, 2007

I started this blog because I was fascinated by the growing Catholic podcasting and blogging community and I wanted to be a part of it and investigate how social media is being used to nourish and strengthen a worldwide Catholic community. Early on I realized that social networks, “Internet Community” and internet relationships in general resemble face to face relationships but there is a qualitative difference. However Internet friendships can turn into genuine friendships and Internet Community can foster “Real” Communities. I think we are particularly seeing this in the online Catholic Community. In an upcoming interview with Bryan Murdaugh on For the Sake of the Song, I mentioned that the Catholic Community we are developing through blogs and podcasts seems to be more substantial than other ‘Internet Communities’. He replied that this is because we are all members of The Body of Christ: The Church, and that distance is not a barrier to that relationship. Whoa. My wife and I have found the Internet Catholic Community has been wonderful because we found it very difficult to become accepted within our parish community. But as we have become more involved in the online community, we have also become more involved in our local community and we are slowly building friendships within our parish.
Scott Maentz over at Real Wise Friends has a fantastic post about why he joined the Knights of Columbus.

While there are numerous reasons for a Catholic man to join a charitable organization such as the Knights of Columbus, there are few reasons I can find not to do so. …

Yet, perhaps they do not. Perhaps in the long run the Knights of Columbus and organizations like it will prove to be essential in the survival of those characteristics that make us truly human. With its practical dedication to the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism, the Knights make a difference in their communities by reaching out to those in need and supporting their local Catholic communities. They also support one another in a mobile society where so many people barely know their next door neighbors. The organization’s goals can be accomplished by like minded men with limited technological experience. You don’t need to use an iPod to be a Knight. We’re talking about helping our neighbors and our church, which is done most effectively in dozens of low tech ways at a local level.

It is my opinion that as technology advances, organizations such as the K of C will continue to offer old-fashioned social networking, a proven alternative to the on-line social networking we see emerging in cyberspace. These are places to meet and get to know your brother personally, in the flesh, and not within the somewhat contrived on-line world of Facebook, Second Life and other internet meeting places. It’s a place to affect good in your local community with other real people striving to live out their faith in practical ways. It seems to me that organizations like the Knights of Columbus are more necessary than ever in today’s high-speed on-line society.

I think Scott hit the nail on the head. There is something about the flesh and blood “community service” that only a group of commited people within your hometown can provide. Social media is just a tool to be used to serve this kind of community.

After I read this post, and reflected on it, I spoke with my wife about it. Then I spoke with one of the Knights I know in our parish, and I’m going to further investigate joining the Knights. I too can’t see many reasons not to join an organization committed to community service, fraternity, family, and a deepening of one’s faith.

Topics: Catholic Blogs, Catholic Podcasts, Ontario, blog, midland |

One Response to “Things that Make Me Go Hmmm…”

  1. Scott Maentz Says:
    December 13th, 2007 at 6:57 am

    Hi, Sean. thanks for the blog plug. I’m glad the reflection on my experience of joining the Knights has caused you to look more closely at this great service organization.

    To me a living faith is much more about “doing” than it is about “saying.” It’s easy to say one is a Christian and that you care about others. What isn’t so easy is backing up that talk with action. Action takes precious time and most of us feel as though we don’t have enough of that. Often the real sacrifice in these matters is giving the necessary time to “Git r done!” We are instructed by Jesus to feed the poor, visit the sick & imprisoned and care for the widows. This is what the Knights do and I’m proud to be a member of an organization with a bias for action. Talk is cheap, but action has quite a cost and only it makes a real difference in these matters.

    Keep the faith and I’ll touch base with you from time-to-time on Twitter. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Comments