By Emilie Ng
TEENAGERS might have an addiction to Facebook but a group of young Catholics believe the virtual obsession hasn’t made it easier to connect personally with youth.
Leaders from the Burleigh Heads parish youth group have been trying to connect with teenagers from the local high schools through Facebook.
Matt Lam, a medical student from Bond University and Burleigh Blaze Youth Group leader, said while social media was “a big platform to teenagers” the group had difficulty connecting with teenagers.
“It’s not too easy to connect with youth on Facebook, because many of them are not open about the faith,” Mr Lam said.
“They wouldn’t like the page publicly or show that they are connected with the Church.”
The former Sydney student said Facebook made it easy to reach a broader audience, but word of mouth has helped more with their evangelisation efforts.
“The teachers are doing a good job of promoting our Facebook page, or encouraging people to come to the choir,” Mr Lam said.
“The head girl of the school is also a great support.
“I think it’s very easy, when you’re on Facebook, to just scroll through your news feeds, but it’s harder to disregard face to face conversations, where you’re looking someone in the eyes.”
Mr Lam said the group focused on growing a small community on Facebook, rather than trying to reach out for new Likes.
“What we aim to do is have a little community where we post events, the youth Mass, and rosters for different ministries at Mass,” he said.
The youth group’s experience reflects the message given by Pope Benedict XVI for the 45th World Communications Day in 2011.
In his message, Pope Benedict said proponents of the digital age who exchanged information were sharing “their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals”.
While these views may not be shared with the whole world, Pope Benedict said the truth “does not derive its worth from its ‘popularity’ or from the amount of attention it receives”.
He also said “direct human relations” were a “fundamental” platform for sharing the faith.
“We must make it known in its integrity, instead of seeking to make it acceptable or diluting it,” he said.
“It must become daily nourishment and not a fleeting attraction.
“The truth of the Gospel is not something to be consumed or used superficially; rather it is a gift that calls for a free response.
“Even when it is proclaimed in the virtual space of the web, the Gospel demands to be incarnated in the real world and linked to the real faces of our brothers and sisters, those with whom we share our daily lives.
“Direct human relations always remain fundamental for the transmission of the faith.”
