Real Catholic Blog

As we’ve noted before, Pope Benedict XVI endorses new media and digital technology as a vital tool in reaching and teaching people about God, our faith and the Church. Now, he’s taking it a step further. In a recent message, he promoted the 44th World Day of Social Communications, and calls “urgent and unavoidable task for priests and consecrated men and women,” to communicate through this new avenue of reaching people not before available through traditional forms of communication. He practices what he preaches — the Vatican has an excellent YouTube channel and Web site, for example. We would add that lay people have their own responsibility to reach out to those who are not familiar with the Church; or those who are, but who have declined the Lord’s invitation to come home.

Pope Benedict says: Get online, log on and log into the Word of God!

Sister Vicki Ix is probably tired of all the cooking nun puns and the comparisons to Sally Field (The Flying Nun). But you have to admit, her approach to vocations is unique.

Sister Vicki is the vocations director for the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia. She is combining new media technology and her love of the culinary arts —she’s a culinary school graduate and once worked as a restaurant chef before entering the religious life — to reach out to women who are interested in a life of religious vocation. She’s as adept at the tools of the Internet as she is with her cooking utensils. She has a YouTube channel, where she posts cooking lessons, and a blog, Monastic Journey. She has become a bit of a trans media sensation, receiving publicity this year across the new and traditional media spectrum, including Friends Eat Blog as well as the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which wrote a profile on her (and did a recent follow-up), and the religious media, such as the Arlington Catholic Herald. 

As she told the Times-Dispatch in late May:

If St. Paul were alive today, his letters would be going out on the Internet. It can be used for good things, really good things.

That makes sense and we agree. Congratulations Sister Vicki on some well-earned and deserved attention to a important need in the Church — vocations to the religious life. We add our prayers to your efforts.

Here is her “Cooking Pasta 2″ lesson (part one is an introduction):

Pasta and prayers: Sister Vicki Ix cooks for her Benedictine sisters and also works tirelessly and innovatively for vocations.

Not exactly, but he does encourage Catholics to use the Internet, responsibly, to spread the Gospel. We’re during our part. Join in our discussion: While the Vatican and many dioceses have sophisticated media operations, as do independent Catholic organizations (think EWTN, Catholic Online) and some orders, what do you think Catholics groups and layity can do better to spread the Truth via new media and technology?

Pope Benedict: Catholics, get online and spread the Truth!