Detroit Catholics will use modern technology to help bring papal visit home

DETROIT — With 7.08 million followers on Twitter — along with the estimated 1.2 billion Catholics globally — Pope Francis’ popularity is undeniable.

The Holy Father has renewed interest in the Church across the world and is set to visit the U.S. for the first time Sept. 22-27. With thousands of representatives from dioceses across the country converging on the East Coast for the visit, the Archdiocese of Detroit will join them, sending personnel to document the pope’s visit for a two-fold purpose: to show Detroit’s solidarity with the rest of the Catholic United States, and to bring the pope’s visit back home.

Annie Schunior, a Web content special working in the archdiocese’s Office of Digital Media, will travel to Philadelphia to chronicle the pope’s visit and the World Meeting of Families, providing content for The Michigan Catholic and other Archdiocese of Detroit media. 

“I will be embedded with other members from parishes across the archdiocese, getting a feel of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s participation in the visit,” Schunior said. “The pope has made himself accessible; he’s done a lot of travel, and I think people needed that. He’s bringing a message of hope and love.” 

Pope Francis has been regarded as the first “Twitter Age” pope, with a presence on social media that brings him closer to everyday Catholics. Schunior will use the same technology to provide original content and updates about parishioners from the archdiocese and their experiences with the pontiff. She can be followed through the archdiocese’s social media accounts: “Archdiocese of Detroit” on Facebook, @DetroitCatholic on Twitter and ArchofDet on Instagram. 

“As a Catholic, you have to go where the people are, and people today are living in a social media age,” Schunior said. “It’s important Detroit has a presence in Philadelphia; we need to show people back in the archdiocese they are represented. We have a diverse Metro area, and it’s important to show we are involved in this universal Church.”

The archdiocese’s chief shepherd, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, will be in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., during the pope’s visit, including a meeting with the Holy Father and Mass with other U.S. bishops at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington. 

Archbishop Vigneron will attend sessions at the World Meeting of Families on Sept. 22 before heading to Washington for the pope’s canonization Mass of Blessed Junipero Serra on Sept. 23 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He will catch the pope’s address to the U.S. Congress via large screen with other bishops Sept. 24 before returning to Philadelphia for the World Meeting from Sept. 24-27 and a meeting about religious freedom with the Holy Father.

 

The quotable pope

Other Archdiocese of Detroit Central Services personnel will be in New York and Washington D.C., working to see the papal visit runs as smoothly as possible.

Ned McGrath, director of communications for the archdiocese, will be in New York City during the pope’s visit, processing more than 9,000 media credentials and arranging interviews between reporters and papal staff members. 

“I’ll be working with reporters, trying to get them with the person they need to talk to,” McGrath said. “I think this pope evokes a lot of thought on what people don’t particularly say.” 

McGrath attributes the pope’s popularity to how quotable he is in today’s hyper-media climate. 

“It’s not just the technology, it’s the content,” McGrath said. “This pope is highly quotable, giving messages in short, little bits which give us a lot to think about. This pope says things that resonate on a little different levels; he’s speaking on a personal level with us.”

While everyday Catholics in Detroit might not see the pope in person, the goal of the archdiocese’s participation is connecting the Church on Woodward Avenue with the Church on Pennsylvania Avenue. 

“It’s important to not only show everyone in the world the pope, but also that now is the time for the Church to be one,” said Patricia Maldonado, director of digital media for the archdiocese, who will be in Washington, D.C., assisting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with media coverage.

In today’s social media world, anyone with a camera phone and a blog could identify as an amateur journalist, but Maldonado said it’s still important to have archdiocesan staff broadcast a clear, concise message about the universal Church. 

“There are a lot of sources which call themselves Catholic, but we are here to truly represent the Church,” Maldonado said. “The same goes for our Twitter and Facebook feeds; they’re different channels, but say the same, relevant message.”

 

Amplifying the message

Web administrator Tim Hinkle will be supporting the USCCB in Washington after the organization asked the archdiocese for volunteers. Hinkle’s assignment will fluctuate day to day, but he said the goal is to broadcast the pope’s messages so that anyone — including people who can’t make the trip east — can follow Pope Francis’ visit. 

“I may be working out of a media center, or I might be going out into the field and getting content,” Hinkle said. “It’s the goal of the USCCB during the pope’s visit to three cities to bring the Holy Father to everybody.”

Hinkle said the pope’s embrace of social media has galvanized people to hear his message about what it means to be a Catholic in the 21st century. 

“This is definitely the first social media pope — he is the most followed person on Twitter, and his message of spreading the joy of the Gospel speaks to everyone,” Hinkle said. “A lot of people are telling their own stories; our goal is to work with the professional media to amply and strengthen the message.”

Hinkle said one look at an iconic image from the pope’s election speaks volumes about where the Catholic message is headed. 

“There is a great photo of the faithful in 2005 when Benedict was elected pope, and next to it is an image of the faithful when Francis was elected in 2013; and all you see is the blue florescent lights from phones and iPads. He is going to places where everyone can follow on their screens, speaking directly to the people. And I’m honored to be a part of this visit.”

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Follow the pope’s visit

Follow the Archdiocese of Detroit online: www.aod.org, “Archdiocese of Detroit” on Facebook, “@DetroitCatholic” on Twitter, “ArchofDet” on Instagram. Also follow #PopeInUSA to track Pope Francis’s visit.

Be sure to check out the Oct. 2 issue of The Michigan Catholic as well as themichigancatholic.com for extended coverage of the pope’s visit.