ONLINE PARISH?

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- One “parish” here is not listed in the country’s Catholic directory. It has no church or other buildings but still claims thousands of members.

Father Roberto Reyes listens to his guests at a gathering of bloggers in a Quezon City bar. The screen presents Parokya sa Web (parish on the web).

Parokya sa Web (parish on the web) is a “virtual parish” where devotions and spiritual matters are discussed online, and which its organizer says demonstrates the potential and power of new technologies that have revolutionized the world. [I'm all for this!]

Parokya sa Web (parish on the web), http://www.thepoc.net/poc-presents/parokya-sa-web.html, is hosted by the Philippine Online Chronicles (POC), and is the name of Father Roberto Reyes’ blog. [Uh-huh.....]

In it the priest of Cubao diocese, well-known as the “Running Priest” for his social activism, shares daily reflections on the Gospel, his online homilies, news reports, photos and multimedia commentaries, and images on spiritual matters and social issues.

Some 13,000-15,000 visitors a month discuss or comment on Parokya material that deals mostly with spiritual reflections on life in a troubled world.

While some of these people from around the world seek advice, others put in prayer requests, reflections on the Bible and comments.

For example, one Parokya blog visitor identified as “Maribel of Hong Kong” wrote that the blog has been her companion in her journey through life. [A better alternative against the rubbish out there in the web.]

Another blogger, Noemi Lardizabal-Dado, 52, who has 10 blog sites of her own, [WHAT?!  How in the world can she manage that?!  I hope she's not a married mother because she MUST spend more time with her kids, relatives and friends rather than be online most of the time!] said the virtual parish gives much-needed “food for the soul.” [Food for the Soul?   Uh.... Let's try the Bread of Life?  aka Holy Eucharist...aka Jesus Christ in Holy Communion during the Holy Sacrifice?  Remember what He said "I am the Bread of Life that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats this bread will never go hungry..."]

She spoke with UCA News at a recent gathering of 40 bloggers in a Quezon City bar a year after Parokya was launched. At last these bloggers were able to meet in person the priest they had been talking with online for so long.

Most of them are “mom bloggers” -- mothers who blog about motherhood and issues they face. One is an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). [This is always two sides to a story.  It's good that they can share their thoughts and feelings BUT they must NEVER sacrifice quality time with their kids and relatives for blogging!  NEVER!]

Father Reyes’ reflections are relevant to current conditions especially for OFWs who have no access to the Church, Dado noted.

She described the priest as a good blogger, noting his writings are “brief, but relevant” to the situation of OFW and other people who “hunger for spirituality online.”

POC publisher Gaspar Vibal was among guests at the anniversary gathering. He told UCA News he supports Parokya because “we love this kind of advocacy.” It is fruitful to “gather as a virtual community, as part of social networking,” he said.

In his view, Father Reyes’ blog, like a real parish, “connects thousands of people” even though they are not part of a physical church.”

“It’s a very powerful tool for OFWs because they can share things happening in places like Saudi Arabia, where they are not allowed to go to Mass,” Vibal said. [That is so true!  I almost got a job as a communication manager for Toyota in Jeddah but my wife and brother feared for my safety since the country is Christo-phobic!  Muslims cry out for religious tolerance in other countries but they continue to deny people of other faiths to practice their religion openly!]

Another guest, Edicio de la Torre, 66, and a former Society of the Divine World (SVD) priest, [Hmmm...] has his own blog dealing with socio-political and spiritual issues. “Father Reyes is very good because he touches many people” who want to discuss various issues but cannot meet physically, he told UCA News.

After the anniversary celebration, Father Reyes said that through the Internet and email, he is able to share what he thinks, feels, and plans, with a very wide spectrum of people. “I think this is what evangelization is all about,” the priest told UCA News. [Do you need ordination to do this?  Just a thought.]

He said when he was a parish priest he did not spend a lot of time in a church [At least he is honest! That is why he is not assigned to any parish right now.] but in the parokya sa kalye (parish in the street). He was referring to his prayer rallies, hunger strikes and other movements with farmers, urban poor and other sectors, to call attention to corruption, environmental degradation and various “social evils.” [DO YOU STILL NEED ORDINATION TO CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE PUBLIC TO THESE ISSUES?  Is it really a top qualification before you can begin to engage the public to discuss these issues? ]

“The Church was defined by Vatican II as the ‘people of God,’ [Wow , there's the Mega Council again as if the Church did not exist or did not sya anything relevant before Vatican II.  REMINDER!  Vatican II is a pastoral council and NOT a dogmatic council!]  and where you find people then that is where the Church is, so I now use the Internet,” Father Reyes said.

He believes Jesus is finding a way to talk to people today. “The Holy Spirit is working through cyberspace so we cannot say, ‘No, that is not for me.” [Which I definitely agree.  No violent objections here.]

In his view, a cyber parish is no longer an option but an evolving reality. [But it is still an alternative.]

He expressed hope that face-to-face meetings of Parokya sa Web bloggers would help in some way to improve the nation’s moral values. [Huh?!  Why not tell this bloggers to meet their own parish priests?]

***

There is nothing wrong with online communities gathering for a common purpose.  Thanks to Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's "What does the Prayer Really Say? Blog", it got me hooked into blogging and met a lot of wonderful Catholics.

But my... for priests who have an identity crisis of what they REALLY want to be as a priest...

I know something about Fr. Reyes and how he 'lost' his last parish.  I'll just stop.  Lest I sin.