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Modern Monks Mount Online Mission

by Warren Riddle on June 17, 2009 at 05:03 PM


The Alexian Brothers, a Roman Catholic order of monks with origins dating back to the 13th century and the time of the Black Plague, seek to care for "the sick, the aged, the poor and the dying." Ironically, enough, according to the Chicago Tribune, the group's U.S. congregation has dwindled to only 36 members (with a median age of 73). Brother Dan McCormick, director of vocations, told the Tribune, "If you don't get new blood, you're going to wither on the vine."

To combat their declining flock, and to attract younger members, the Alexian Brothers are following the lead of churches across the country by tapping into the ubiquitous social networking scene. Last year, the group posted an informational video on YouTube, and have now followed that up by creating Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles. The brothers hope the videos, photos, and written updates will forge a modernized and personalized view of their group in order to help dispel the notion of the brothers being staid and robe-clad.

So far, the foray into social networking (and their adept messaging) seems to be paying off as the almost daily tweets have already attracted more followers than their actual U.S membership. It should prove intriguing to watch the order's online growth, as well as other online religious groups. Can the growing cyber-congregation translate into an influx of new, real world members? [From: The Chicago Tribune, via Textually.org]

Tags: alexian brothers, AlexianBrothers, catholic, facebook, linkedin, monk, religion, social networking, SocialNetworking, twitter

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