org. In his message for the 43rd World Conference of Social Communications, which will be celebrated Sunday, May 12, that was published as always on January 24th, the Feast of Saint Francis of Sales, patron of journalists, the Holy Father speaks of communication and especially about the Internet as a new space for evangelization; Benedict XVI acknowledges the importance of the digital atmosphere as a reality in the life of many people. It is not about a sort of parallel world, or only a virtual one; but rather, an existential atmosphere in which people live and move. It is about a “continent” in which the Church should be present and where, if believers want to be authentic in their presence; they will have to try to share the most profound source of their joy and of their hope, Jesus Christ, with others.
“The forum created by social networks allows us to share the truth that the Lord has transmitted to His Church, to listen to others, to learn about their interests and concerns, to understand who they are and what they seek,” the Holy Father said.
Despite the brutal crisis they are experiencing – or better still, as a great way of getting out of a crisis, they are taking it as a call to dedicate oneself to the apostolate at the service of the Church and of the men/women of today – the Legion of Christ with the Regnum Christi Movement has committed itself to Benedict XVI’s call by utilizing the highways of cyberspace to bring the word of God to homes and thus asserting the citizenship of God in our era. The website, Evangelización Digital, is an apostolic project that was born as a response to the Holy Father’s message at the 2010 Social Communication’s World Conference on the occasion of the Year for Priests, in which he invited the priests to evangelize the Digital Continent.
The first virtual pilgrimage in history began on January 20th
Precisely on January 20th of this year, Evangelizaciondigital.org started the first online pilgrimage in history. Throughout the twenty-five stages, pilgrims will travel the French Road of Santiago, and at the end, the Compostelana will receive them; at every stage, there will be a meditation about the road of faith. The Archbishop of Santiago, Monsignor Julián Barrio, will guide last one.
The organizers have assured: “The first online stage of the Road of Santiago has surpassed all expectations. They doubled the forum so that no one would be left out.” And the response was so great, that there were people who could not connect. They assure that this has been resolved. The next stage from Zubiri to Pamplona, took place today, Sunday, January 27th.
This is an opportunity to travel the Road of Santiago not only for those who cannot do it for some reason; but rather, it also for those who want to make this pilgrimage in the future, or for those who have already made it and who want to recall it and to share experiences.
The motivations of the previous stages can be downloaded on the website, and you can still register for the pilgrimage.
Joyfully we go on pilgrimage to your Shrine
This is how hundreds or thousands of people go on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Santiago de Compostela with joy and connected via Internet during this Year of Faith.
Thousands of Schoenstatters also go on pilgrimage, joyfully, to the Shrine, we also connect, via Internet, via schoenstatt.org, where we share the experiences, joys and sorrows of this pilgrimage.
Someday, in one of the steps of the 31st of May, of offering what is ours to everyone else, will there be a virtual pilgrimage for all men/women of our time to the Original Shrine? This is the leap of Jubilee 2014.
Sources:
http://www.evangelizaciondigital.org/encuentros-on-line/camino-de-santiago/
http://www.alfayomega.es/noticias_digital/2013/01/20130122_santiagovirtual.php
Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, Texas, USA
