E-PARISHES: Pastors are finding e-mail connects them to Catholics

Instead of leaving messages on his voice mail, however, they're e-mailing him at [email protected], the address for Immaculate Conception Church in Hoosick Falls, where he is pastor.

The parish has had e-mail for a year-and-a-half, and Father Cioppa receives between 10 and 15 messages each week, a number that he thinks will only increase.

"Most of our parishioners are just finding e-mail helpful recently, but I think that it will definitely pick up as time goes on," he said. "It makes it really easy for people to wait for a response, and sometimes it's quicker than waiting for me to call them back. If you're on your computer and you need something from the church, you can just as easily send e-mail. People find it more convenient."

E-parishes

For example, Rev. John Molyn, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Valatie, said many of the e-mail messages he receives at [email protected] aren't even from parishioners.

"Mostly what I see is people who are not connected with any parish or have not dealt with the Catholic Church who are asking questions," he said. They usually find out about St. John's by checking out its web site, www.berk.com/~stjohns/.

People wondering about what's liturgically appropriate in Baptisms or weddings often are welcomed to receive those sacraments at St. John's, Father Molyn pointed out.

"When you invite them to celebrate the sacraments here, there's personal contact after they come in," he said.

Parish committee members use e-mail to schedule meetings, and people curious about their ancestors sometimes e-mail the parish because it has a cemetery.

Multi-purpose

Parish members and staff e-mail Father Noone at [email protected], and the word's out about how much he uses e-mail in his ministry.

"My address is in the bulletin, so I receive more personal e-mail than personal letters from parishioners," he said. "My staff and I communicate by e-mail all the time, especially since I'm often at the rectory, which is three miles away."

St. Francis' web address is www.francisdesales.org.

Father Noone is even doing some long-range planning by e-mail. "My summer replacement is a seminary professor in England, and he just finalized summer coverage plans by e-mail," he said.

Feedback

"Sometimes, people will respond to something you said in a homily or reflect on something that happened to them," he said. "Sometimes, it's a question that may require more than a half-hour session, but our web site has links to other web sites that are interesting and educational."

Christ the King's web site is www.acmenet.net/~ctkschool.

Father Butler likes using e-mail in his ministry because he can respond to people's messages at any time and doesn't have to go back and forth by telephone.

"It allows you to respond to a great number of calls, rather than playing phone tag," he said.

(Visit The Evangelist's web site, evangelist.org, for other links to parishes that are on-line.)

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