Do priests use computers?

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catechumen08

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Hi all, sorry for the silly question. I have seen priests using computers in real life, but I still can’t picture priests using computers, you know what I mean? I don’t know, I guess I always thought the clergy was too holy to bother with electronic gadgets or something. Don’t think I’ve seen a priest with an iPod, yet.

Alright, I don’t know if I’m making any sense, just something I found interesting.
 
It should not seem unusual in today’s modern age. Priests, like everyone else vary in experience. Some still never touch them, but some know their way around pretty well.

I would expect to see more and more with an iPod over the next few years.
 
Yep - we even have a few great priests here as forum members.

Please keep in mind that priests are people too.
 
I know for a fact that many Protestant ministers have to stay away from computers and the Internet, because they can’t resist going to the Porn Sites. That probably holds true with some priest also, because Satan it out there temping the clergy.

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catechumen08 said:
Hi all, sorry for the silly question. I have seen priests using computers in real life, but I still can’t picture priests using computers, you know what I mean? I don’t know, I guess I always thought the clergy was too holy to bother with electronic gadgets or something. Don’t think I’ve seen a priest with an iPod, yet.

Alright, I don’t know if I’m making any sense, just something I found interesting.
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since parish priest spend as much of their time in administrative tasks as in pastoral concerns, yes they use computers. also blackberries, palm pilots, ipods and all the other gadgets. Anything to save time and improve communication and accountability. Secular priests do not spend all their time praying, and even monks in cloistered monasteries provide some of the best website construction and maintenance services available to parishes and other Catholic organizations. This is a natural outgrowth of their historical role as scribes and preservers of information.
 
The Holy Father has an IPOD. It was presented to him, I think, by Vatican Radio. I don’t know if he uses it.
 
From my own experience let me tell you ipods and computers can be great tools to holiness.

My ipod is loaded with the week’s Mass readings, audio rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, a few other favourite prayers of mine, talks by Fr Corapi and Fr Thomas Dubay, and some excellent Catholic music to wind up or wind down with (got to plug a few music podcasts here - ‘Catholic Rockers’, ‘Catholic PraiseCast’ and ‘Catholic Music Express’ are awesome)

Computer is full of prayers of different kinds I’ve pulled off the internet and has religious art of various kinds as screensavers and wallpaper (I change 'em around every so often if I get bored)
 
NewUlm1976_2000 said:
It should not seem unusual in today’s modern age. Priests, like everyone else vary in experience. Some still never touch them, but some know their way around pretty well.

I would expect to see more and more with an iPod over the next few years.
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Yea, I think you’re right.
jrabs said:
Yep - we even have a few great priests here as forum members.
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Yea, I was actually pretty surprised when I saw that! It’s very very cool, though.
jrabs said:
Please keep in mind that priests are people too.
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Haha! Still having trouble with that one! I tend to speak very softly when I’m speaking with a priest, and believe me, I’m usually not very quiet, at all! I wouldn’t say that priests scare me, but I do feel like I’m not reverent enough or something. Okay, priests do scare me, just a little, though.
holy_roamer said:
I know for a fact that many Protestant ministers have to stay away from computers and the Internet, because they can’t resist going to the Porn Sites. That probably holds true with some priest also, because Satan it out there temping the clergy.
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Hmm, that’s interesting. Never thought of it that way. I was thinking more along the lines of a clash between tradition and technology.
puzzleannie said:
since parish priest spend as much of their time in administrative tasks as in pastoral concerns, yes they use computers. also blackberries, palm pilots, ipods and all the other gadgets. Anything to save time and improve communication and accountability. Secular priests do not spend all their time praying, and even monks in cloistered monasteries provide some of the best website construction and maintenance services available to parishes and other Catholic organizations. This is a natural outgrowth of their historical role as scribes and preservers of information.
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Okay, that makes sense.
JKirkLVNV said:
The Holy Father has an IPOD. It was presented to him, I think, by Vatican Radio. I don’t know if he uses it.
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Wow! Really? Hmm, that’s interesting. Still can’t picture Pope Benedict with an iPod, though.
LilyM said:
From my own experience let me tell you ipods and computers can be great tools to holiness.

My ipod is loaded with the week’s Mass readings, audio rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, a few other favourite prayers of mine, talks by Fr Corapi and Fr Thomas Dubay, and some excellent Catholic music to wind up or wind down with (got to plug a few music podcasts here - ‘Catholic Rockers’, ‘Catholic PraiseCast’ and ‘Catholic Music Express’ are awesome)

Computer is full of prayers of different kinds I’ve pulled off the internet and has religious art of various kinds as screensavers and wallpaper (I change 'em around every so often if I get bored)
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Haha, looks like I may need to get an iPod after all!
 
catechumen08 said:
Hi all, sorry for the silly question. I have seen priests using computers in real life, but I still can’t picture priests using computers, you know what I mean? I don’t know, I guess I always thought the clergy was too holy to bother with electronic gadgets or something. Don’t think I’ve seen a priest with an iPod, yet.

Alright, I don’t know if I’m making any sense, just something I found interesting.
Click to expand...
Well, some priests write blogs, like Fr. Z of What Does the Prayer Really Say? [excellent, btw]. And from perusing church bulletins, I’m convinced they are now composed on word processors because they are loaded with the sort of errors that make it past a spell checker but wouldn’t (one hopes) elude a Catholic-educated proofreader.
 
My local parish priest is on Facebook, and e-mails parishioners on a regular basis. I think he feels tha being available to different people in the parish via modern technology is a good thing. I agree.
 
Maybe it is a question of age to you, catechumen? It would feel weird for me to see my confessor (60+ and looks that age) with an ipod as it would feel weird for my 98-year-old grandmother, but it is really normal for me to see them and other gadgets on young priests (we got a new chaplain/vicar last month - God bless him! - and which word refers correctly to a young priest coming in a new parish and working under and older priest, vicar or chaplain? I have the nagging feeling one apllies to protestant denominations…) or seminarians.

And every priest I know has got a mobile 👍 To speak about my confessor again, his mobile plays the Salve instead of ringing, our precentor programmed it for him,. Truly awesome, I wish my mobile could handle that, too.
 
Oh yes, definitely. I know many priests who are “wired up”. You will find that many have their own blogs to express their thoughts and concerns. The already mentioned example of Fr. Z is excellent but there are many others. On Facebook you will find many priests as well and in fact there is a group called “Priests for the third millennium” which is a group for, well, Catholic priests. Oh, and my priests has a really nice iPod.

Internet is a great tool for evangelization and reaching out to others.
 
One of our parish priests has a PDA. It’s a hold-over from his secular days as an engineer. He uses it now to schedule, take notes during parish meetings, etc.

Our pastor loves finding Church writings and prayers off the internet.

Another one of our priests has a great-looking Dell computer…(saw it during the open house last year of our new rectory.)👍
 
Then there are priests who can’t even get their email. We had a new priest here who just didn’t like computers or couldn’t get a handle on them.
 
catechumen08 said:
Hi all, sorry for the silly question. I have seen priests using computers in real life, but I still can’t picture priests using computers, you know what I mean? I don’t know, I guess I always thought the clergy was too holy to bother with electronic gadgets or something. Don’t think I’ve seen a priest with an iPod, yet.

Alright, I don’t know if I’m making any sense, just something I found interesting.
Click to expand...
I know many priests who use computers, several that type their homily on it, Others who use liturgy software to plan liturgies like weddings and funerals, RCIA Rites, etc. I know a Bishop who has an iPod and does weekly Pod-Casts.
 
Originally Posted by catechumen08
Hi all, sorry for the silly question. I have seen priests using computers in real life, but I still can’t picture priests using computers, you know what I mean? I don’t know, I guess I always thought the clergy was too holy to bother with electronic gadgets or something. Don’t think I’ve seen a priest with an iPod, yet.
Click to expand...
Alright, I don’t know if I’m making any sense, just something I found interesting
Click to expand...
Priests are not holy, their office is holy. Some may be more devout than others and some are great examples of the Christian life…but they’re just regular schleppy guys doing their best to meet the requirements of a holy calling. They still struggle with the same day to day temptations that we do…anger greed lust gluttony…they are still susceptible to all that, and unfortunately, sometimes fall just like we do.

A friend of mine who is a priest laughs everytime he hears a comment of this nature, he likes to tell stories on himself from before his ordination…and he says with few exceptions, he’s no different now, except for the annointing.

There is something to be said for holding our priests in high esteem and reverence and sometimes even awe; though I think this was overdone a bit.but it’s also good to remember that they are the same fallen creatures we are, and they need friends other than fellow priests whom they can use to feel connected to the secular life in some way.
 
<<? I don’t know, I guess I always thought the clergy was too holy to bother with electronic gadgets or something.>>

Too holy, or too backwards?

Remember the very offensive ad campaign for copiers showing monks amazed at it–but they were also awestruck at how a candle burns? What’s ironic is that there was a small monastic community supporting themselves with a data-processing business. This was shortly before the micro-computer revolution, though.
 
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