The WEB team of the Daughters of Jesus shares with us some echoes of its international meeting in Kermaria, the motherhouse of the Congregation in Brittany, the first week of July 2018.
“The human digital challenge”
At the launch of the session and at its conclusion, Rhona and Colette highlighted the same challenge:
- Faced with the problems and practices of digital technology with all their opacity and complexity, are we, as Daughters of Jesus and Associates, ready to take our place in the debate and to invest the digital territory?
- The issues involved in communication remain a great challenge for a world where people look for meaning in their lives and live relationships through the Internet. What do we have to say to them?
During the five days between these two presentations, the WEB team worked hard to meet this challenge. We sought to train ourselves in a way adapted to the scope of the mission entrusted to us. At the same time, we dared to look to the future with creativity and audacity.
Learn …
Some team members had a whole new language to learn; for others, it was an opportunity to deepen their knowledge in different areas. Valuing the synergy of our talents, we listened to :
- Irène trace the history of the site. Echos de Chez Nous, Kermaria Magazine … Whatever the medium, paper or digital, she showed us how the Congregation has been concerned from the beginning about how to communicate the mission of the Sisters. But how do we do it in a way adapted to our epoch?
- Agnès illustrate the importance of the visual and take us “behind the scenes” to place articles and videos on the site. What makes a site attractive to visitors?
- Mary-Clare advise us on the legal aspects of the Internet. What do we need to know to be “responsible” Internet users?
- Rhona speak to us about how to write specifically for the web. How do we take into account the requirements of the search engines?
Connect …
At the same time, we had said from the beginning that we wanted more than a technical training session. We wanted to think more broadly and take the time to really reflect on the impact of digital technology on our lives. Two moments in particular challenged us on how we live this “new apostolic dimension“.
- Two days with Fr Grégoire Le Bel sj on “Digital technology and religious life: a creative tension”.
- A morning with Sr Henriette Danet dj on “Where can we find wisdom? Where can we find freshness?”
One had a more informal and edgy approach, the other more meditative and prayerful: both encouraged us to rethink our way of reacting and acting in a hyperconnected world where we are often “alone together”.
So many questions :
- About our freedom in relation to our connected objects. Do we even have digital free moments in our day?
- Communication in the Gospels. At what moment do we see the spark of a true encounter between Jesus and the people he meets?
Contribute …
The WEB team is looking to the future now. After analyzing the site as it is currently, we put forward some proposals. How can we make it even more dynamic and move it forward?
We debated the question of a possible Congregation presence on the social networks that have multiplied in recent years. In all this, it can be difficult to grasp the advantages but also the pitfalls. Are we ready to take the step?
We discussed how to function as a team, how to train ourselves and how to assure the renewal of the team in the future.
All of this reflection will be communicated to the governing bodies of the Congregation in order to decide how we should move forward. For the moment, the members of the WEB team have returned to their respective countries, heads full and enthusiastic to contribute to the mission of the Daughters of Jesus:
“Go out into the world and proclaim the Good News”.
The Daughters of Jesus WEB Team
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