PORTLAND, Maine — Bishop Robert Deeley of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has joined social media website Twitter, using a smiley face emoticon, hashtagging #bluemass and issuing 140-character missives about his recent visit with Pope Francis at The Vatican.
Twitter is a global social media network that allows users to send 140-character messages called “tweets” to others who sign up to follow them on the network.
Deeley’s first tweet from the account — @BishopDeeley — came Sept. 15 and read, simply, “Great to be aboard : ) #FirstTweet.”
The new account — which, as of midday Monday, had 176 followers — is part of a larger effort to freshen up the diocese’s Internet presence with a new Facebook page and website, according to a Friday news release.
Pope Francis, who met with Deeley on Sept. 10 and whose own Twitter account already boasts more than 4 million followers, has urged church leaders to embrace the Internet.
Deeley, in return, urged the pope to visit Maine.
Tweeted Deeley on Friday: “It was a particularly hot day, so I told Pope Francis that he should visit Maine when he comes to the U.S. to experience cooler weather!”
Twitter and Facebook are being seen more and more by Catholic leaders as ways to keep younger members of the denomination engaged and perhaps stem what have been decreases in membership in recent years.
“Some people in the church have thought social communication is bad and evil, but these things can be used in a beautiful way to bring more people to Jesus,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, said in a statement. “We have to refresh and rekindle that faith.”
According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland continues to have the most members of any denomination in the state, with more than 190,000. But that total still represents a significant dropoff from decades past — just 10 years earlier, more than 283,000 Mainers identified themselves as Catholics.
In his first week on Twitter, Deeley tweeted highlights from his Blue Mass this month in Lewiston honoring public safety officials, celebrated the return of students to Catholic schools in Maine and touted his participation in the Catholic Charities of Maine Golf Classic and Put Children First Dinner and Auction.
A news release by the diocese announced Deeley will use the account for reflections on scripture and prayer, postings of photos and videos from his travels around Maine and to answer questions from followers, among other things. Among the nine people Deeley himself is following are previous Portland Bishop Richard Malone, Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and, of course, Pope Francis.
“Joining Twitter, contributing to our Facebook page, and participating on other online platforms gives me the opportunity to share the Good News with people who visit the digital environment as part of their daily life,” Deeley said in a statement. “Social networks allow leaders in the church to interact with Catholics and explain our faith and experiences to new audiences. This will hopefully promote a more personal and active dialogue with the people in Maine.”
