I love Fr. Leo and his Grace Before Meals. His work is very similar to what I am trying to do here at the Catholic Foodie. Food, family, faith, and fun. It’s all here at catholicfoodie.com. Like me, Fr. Leo is also trying to get families back to the kitchen and to the kitchen table.
One really cool thing about Fr. Leo is that he is a Catholic priest. That seems obvious, doesn’t it? But that means that he has the opportunity to bring the priestly ministry to the kitchen… and to bring the kitchen to his priestly ministry. Through cooking and dining, he spreads the gospel. He also uses new media to the same. Isn’t that awesome? Using his website and online videos, he is doing exactly what Pope Benedict XVI wrote about in his recent World Communications Day message.
My good friend (and fellow ex-seminarian) Roy Petitfils sent me a link this morning to an article written by Fr. Leo in the National Catholic Register. I feel compelled to share that article with you.
In addition to food, I am passionate about technology. Pope Benedict XVI likened the new media to a “digital continent” on which we live today. Technology is changing the landscape of society. And the Church must be there. WE must be there.
Here’s what Fr. Leo had to say about this:
The Internet has given me a renewed view of the Catholic Church’s universal unity. People from around the world have received and celebrated our message. The ability to touch hearts and minds through a computer has been a bit of a revelation for me.
While nothing can nor should take the place of the personal presence of a priest — ordained to act in persona Christi — I see how the computer simply provides another platform for the ministers to open the eyes and ears of God’s people.
Our Catholic people, especially young people, spend a lot of time in front of the computer and they can learn much about their faith that way, if we are willing to meet them there. The computer gives parishioners a “protection,” namely anonymity, to search and seek without being as vulnerable to personal rejection.
No doubt that a good website can be an even more effective evangelization tool than a perfectly crafted homily.
That is amazing. He is right on! Fr. Leo does have much more to say in his article. I highly encourage you to check it out at the National Catholic Register.
CF61 – Fat Tuesday