April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
FAITH AND TECHNOLOGY
LOCAL BLOGGERS: Where to find Catholics online
Mary DeTurris Poust is the author of several books on spirituality and a column that appears in two newspapers. A parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar, she writes a personal blog called "Not Strictly Spiritual (http://notstrictlyspiritual.blogspot.com) in addition to contributing regularly to Our Sunday Visitor newspaper's daily blog(http://osvdailytake.com).
As many as 2,000 people read her posts at Our Sunday Visitor; about 100 follow Not Strictly Spiritual.
Eye to detail
"Sometimes, it's the oddest thing that will catch somebody's attention," said Mrs. DeTurris Poust, offering the examples of posts on a religion-themed episode of the "Glee" TV show and on an artsy statue of Blessed Pope John Paul II.
The blogger gets the biggest response when she exposes her vulnerability and helps readers on their own spiritual journeys.
Common topics include hindrances to her spiritual life, reflections on retreats and Bible readings, thoughts about liturgical seasons and an annual post about her miscarriage.
"People want that connection to other people when they're hurting or going through a rough time," she said. "I think that's when my blog is at its best."
On the other hand, "if you want a pesto recipe, I'll give you that," she added.
Some of her posts chronicle the lives of her husband and three children in words and photos, while others dissect the spiritual aspects of ordinary tasks.
Laundry and oatmeal
One of Mrs. DeTurris Poust's favorite blog entries explored her quest to survive the chore of doing laundry with a smile on her face, in a show of love for her family.
Yet another sought to find serenity in a bowl of oatmeal: "I want to become more aware of the connection between the fast-paced, non-thinking eating that I do and the fast-paced, non-thinking living that I do - and the praying that I don't do," she wrote.
But when she's not in a "good spiritual place," she's honest about it with her readers.
"I certainly don't want people to get the impression that I've got it all figured out," she told The Evangelist. "I think we forget that, a lot of times - that we're all out there, we're all trying to walk this path and we can feel like we're alone."
Another local blogger, Fran Rossi Szpylczyn, agrees that blogging about faith helps spiritual seekers.
Making connections
"It really is about community and people wanting to connect," said Mrs. Szpylczyn, a parishioner at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Clifton Park.
She compares blogging to the letters of St. Paul. Mrs. Szpylczyn started her blog, "There Will Be Bread" (http://breadhere.blogspot.com), in 2007 after she married and moved to the Albany Diocese from the Archdiocese of New York.
The office manager at Immaculate Conception parish in Glenville, Mrs. Szpylczyn is working on a Master's degree in pastoral studies from St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Albany.
There Will Be Bread attracts 300 to 400 readers a day. It has helped Mrs. Szpylczyn befriend - in real life - such high-profile Catholic bloggers as Deacon Greg Kandra, author of "The Deacon's Bench" (www.patheos.com/community/deaconsbench/) and Rev. James Martin, SJ, culture editor of America magazine (www.americamagazine.org/blog/blog.cfm?blog_id=2).
Get involved
Mrs. Szpylczyn advises blog readers to comment on blogs under their real names and "invite people into civil discourse." She also suggests reading the blogs of people with differing opinions; she herself has a large Episcopalian following.
Deacon J. Neil Hook, who blogs at "A Servant's Message: Words from a Catholic Deacon" (http://deaconjnh.blogspot.com), is a retired deacon who lives in North Greenbush. He started his blog last September, when he didn't even know what blogging was.
"I've enjoyed it," he said. "I don't do it every single week. It depends on the mood."
Topics abound
He started out writing about the New York Yankees baseball team and about his daughter's neurological disorder (read her blog at http://atticusmom1.blogspot.com). His recent posts have included reflections on ordinary time, the diocesan "Amazing God" evangelization initiative, the concurrence of the beatification of Blessed Pope John Paul II and the death of Osama bin Laden, and a tribute to mothers.
He preaches at St. Michael the Archangel parish in Troy and St. Matthew's in Voorheesville, teaches diaconal candidates and chairs the liturgy subcommittee for the Diocese.
Close to 2,800 people from 57 different countries follow Deacon Hook's blog. His ideas are plentiful.
"I want to keep doing it as long as I can and hope I get the inspirations to write about what's important," he said. "I see it as a type of evangelization."
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