CHURCH SOCIAL TIPS
There continues to be a lot of debate on the merits of using social media for reaching the religiously unaffiliated and growing our members as evidenced by a recent article in the National Catholic Register titled “Catholics reflect on 10 years of the Good, Bad and Ugly of social media.” On the weekend that basketball player Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash, it was social media that allowed us to grieve as a community.
The very first post about the death of this global icon that posted to my personal feed came from Bishop Robert Barron who posted on his Facebook page:
“Friends I have just learned of the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, the legendary basketball icon here in Los Angeles. We pray for the repose of his soul, his daughter’s and the others killed in the helicopter crash. May the Lord grant them his mercy and welcome them into the heavenly kingdom.”
As a Laker fan I had watched Kobe make the sign of the cross when his name was called when the line-up was announced at the beginning of games for years and knew he was Catholic. But, for many other fans, they had no clue that he was a member of the Catholic Church. In the hours that followed more Catholic leaders began to share calls for prayers on their Instagram pages including the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“So very sad to hear the news of #KobeBryant’s tragic death this morning. I am praying for him and his family. May he rest in peace and may our Blessed Mother Mary bring comfort to his loved ones. #KobeBryantRIP” @Archbishop Jose H. Gomez
So very sad to hear the news of #KobeBryant’s tragic death this morning. I am praying for him and his family. May he rest in peace and may our Blessed Mother Mary bring comfort to his loved ones. #KobeBryantRIP pic.twitter.com/QYMRL7RvCL
— Abp. José H. Gomez (@ArchbishopGomez) January 26, 2020
Seeing our church leaders offering our traditional prayers on social media for someone who died was comforting. The next day my pastor, Msgr. John Barry posted too. His post was not about condolences, but how Kobe served as a model for our faith because he made going to Mass a priority. Earlier that same day he and his daughter were scheduled to participate in a basketball tourney, the fateful morning of the tragedy, he had headed to his parish church to pray. The monsignor’s Sunday homily included him recounting a conversation with a young person who said he attended Mass as long as it didn’t interfere with his soccer games or tournaments. So many families are struggling with activities that conflict with Mass times that he hoped Kobe’s good example would inspire them to make Mass a priority too.
Then a post from @CatholicConnect’s Instagram page shared a graphic with a quote from Father Dave Barnes:
“A friend texted me today to tell me that a friend of hers attends the same Catholic church as Kobe and saw him this morning at Mass. There can be nothing more consoling to those who mourn than to know that a loved one worshipped God right before his death, because worshipping God is what heaven is.”
This powerful quote helped to provide the comfort and consolation that Kobe and Gianna had a personal relationship with God, one that prioritizes Communion over competition.
Video prayer from the Vatican
Lastly, bishops from California, Nevada and Hawaii were in Rome for their ad limina visit the week Bryant died. The California contingent all joined together to offer prayers from the Vatican for the Bryants and all the families affected by the tragedy. Bishop Kevin Vann, Bishop of Orange, California, where the Bryant family were members of the Our Lady of Angels Parish in Newport Beach, lead the prayers for the repose of their souls. The prayer was posted as a live video on the Twitter page of @archbishopgomez.
Together with my brother bishops, we prayed for #KobeBryant, his daughter, and all victims of Sunday’s helicopter crash. Join me in praying that their souls, through the mercy of God, may rest in peace. (Video credit: Gian Luca Gangemi, @EWTN) pic.twitter.com/BkUhaTRmWu
— Abp. José H. Gomez (@ArchbishopGomez) January 28, 2020
In this instance social media exhibits how it can be used for good. May we all be inspired to share our faith more boldly through our social media and to make Mass a priority in your life as Kobe did.
A public memorial for Kobe and Gianna will be held in a couple of days on Feb. 24 and it has not been announced if it will be a Mass. While the venue of the service has been confirmed as the Staples Center, which only holds 19,000, social media will provide millions another opportunity to share their feelings in real time while watching it.
