Social Networking

As many of you may be noticing OYYAM’s presence on Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook has been slowly increasing over the past few weeks. We have embarked on a pilot program within the Chancery to outline new policies and procedures around the use of technology in a constantly evolving environment.

Pope Benedict the XVI addresses the priests of the world on this issue in his annual World Communications Day address with the following:
“Responding adequately to this challenge amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communications technologies. The world of digital communication, with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16) The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts. Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.” read more

We are working to answer the Pope’s challenge to put the media at the service of the World and hope to soon be able to announce a revised policy about Social Networking and social media. However, we would like to remind all of our youth ministry community that we are in a pilot program phase and ask that you remain within the existing policy until the time a new policy is communicated.