By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
This Facebook post reassured parishioners of the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea that the church's pastor, Father John Baker, and the Sisters of the Holy Spirit who serve there, had survived the onslaught of Hurricane Irma.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Theresa School in Coral Gables was one of many archdiocesan schools and parishes that communicated with parishioners and parents via social media.
MIAMI | When the lights go out and the Internet goes down, how do you communicate? Facebook, of course.
Despite spotty cell phone service in the days immediately after Hurricane Irma’s passage, most people managed to post quick messages or mark themselves “safe” after the storm by using the Facebook app on their mobile phones.
Via Facebook, residents who had evacuated the Florida Keys learned that the rector and Holy Spirit Sisters at the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea had survived the storm. It’s how Father Jesus “Jets” Medina, parochial administrator at hard-hit St. Peter in Big Pine Key, let his parishioners know about the damages the church had suffered, the help it needed, and the celebration of Sunday Mass Sept. 17.
The archdiocese certainly used its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages before and after the storm, posting constant updates on school closings and re-openings, as well as Archbishop Thomas Wenski’s statement that no Masses be celebrated over the weekend.
Because of the storm, the archbishop granted a dispensation from the Sunday obligation. But the faithful could still attend Mass via the links to the Masses for shut-ins, in English and Spanish, which are posted on the archdiocesan website each weekend.
Or they could have caught the Facebook feed of Immaculate Conception Church in Hialeah. On the evening of Sept. 9, as everyone hunkered down to wait for Irma, Immaculate’s pastor, Father Manny Alvarez, and his three resident priests celebrated the vigil Mass in the parish chapel and streamed it via Facebook Live.
“It was truly a unique experience connecting with our parishioners via social media,” Father Alvarez posted — on Facebook — Sept. 14. “So many said they huddled around their computers, recited the prayers with us and even held hands during the Our Father. Last I checked nearly 15,000 people had seen the Mass and the video has had 36,000 hits since Saturday night.”
The Internet also turned the principal of Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall into a viral media sensation. But that’s a whole other story…
