The question in front of us isn’t just technical. It’s theological and even providential. Is the Catholic Church really ready for the technology we have today? We’re living in a world shaped by social media, instant messaging, and constant information overload. And during the pandemic, everything changed. Parishes that used to work quietly within the rhythm of liturgical life suddenly showed up on Facebook, YouTube, and everywhere else online. The church bells were basically joined by livestream notifications. Sure, some parishes were online before COVID, but let’s be real. It was the pandemic that pushed churches in the Philippines and around the world to enter the digital world in a big and serious way.
At first, it was out of necessity. Churches were closed. People were hungry for the Mass. So livestreams, Facebook pages, YouTube channels, and online announcements became the new church door. And honestly, it was a grace. Even in crisis, Christ found a way to reach His people. And after restrictions lifted, many parishes kept going with it. That’s a good thing as long as we remember one important truth. Watching Mass online doesn’t fulfill the Sunday obligation unless you’re legitimately unable to attend. The Church has never been a purely digital idea. God became man. The Church is physical, sacramental, and embodied. We encounter grace in the flesh, in the sacraments, in real space and time.
Now here’s the real question. The Church got online because it had to, but what now? What’s the plan? Most parish pages today feel like bulletin boards. Schedules, announcements, birthday greetings for priests, photos, congratulatory posts. Nothing wrong with that. But let’s be honest. Most parishes in the Philippines are barely using social media to catechize. The digital presence is there, but the digital mission is mostly missing.
Scroll through parish pages and you’ll see it. Posters, events, celebrations. But where’s the catechesis? Where’s clear teaching on the Eucharist, Confession, Catholic morality, the liturgical seasons? Where are the teachings on saints, devotions, spiritual life, or apologetics? People don’t leave the faith because they’re malicious. Many leave because they don’t know the faith. They never got a chance to actually learn what we believe. It’s not a crisis of loyalty. It’s a crisis of knowledge and formation. Catholics don’t know the faith not because they’re dumb but because nobody really taught them. Their minds aren’t empty because they’re incapable but because the shepherds left the gate wide open and the world came in to teach instead.
And honestly, we can’t blame the regular Catholics who only ever had a few childhood catechism lessons or a quick seminar before sacraments. The responsibility belongs to us as a Church. Jesus said “teach all nations.” Teaching isn’t optional. Evangelizing isn’t optional. The internet is now part of the mission field. Young people are online. They scroll more than they sit in catechism classes. Social media is where souls walk now. And if the Church doesn’t show up there, then TikTok, pop culture, secular ideologies, and influencers will do the catechizing instead.
Think about a parish like San Isidro Labrador Parish. Imagine if every parish posted weekly catechesis, theological reflections, saint teachings, moral guidance, and devotional encouragement online. Imagine if parishes used social media to promote confession, Eucharistic reverence, the rosary, and Catholic apologetics. Some do this already, praise God. But many don’t. And that should concern us.
Technology itself isn’t evil. It’s just a tool. The printing press once shocked the world, but it spread the Gospel. Radio, TV, books, microphones, and pulpits are tools for evangelization. Social media can be the same. But a tool unused is a wasted opportunity.
The enemy knows how to use media. He uses it aggressively. So are we just going to stay quiet while souls scroll into confusion? Or are we going to step up and use the digital world to preach Christ and defend the faith?
If the Church won’t evangelize in the digital age, the digital age will evangelize the Church and it won’t be Catholic.
So here’s what we need. Priests and parish social media admins need to treat digital presence as mission, not just promotion or advertising. Teach doctrine. Share tradition. Show truth. Use the internet like a pulpit, not a bulletin board.
The technology is here. The real question is whether we’re ready to use it for the Gospel. Souls are online. The harvest is digital. The workers are few. Let’s go where the people really are. Let’s catechize, evangelize, and inspire through every platform available today.
Evangelization didn’t end with the apostles. It continues now, at the altar, in the home, and yes, on the screen. The world is watching. The youth are scrolling. Souls are searching.
It’s time for the Church in the Philippines to treat digital evangelization with the same seriousness as preaching from the pulpit. The Gospel has to be preached wherever souls live and today that includes the internet.
Christ hasn’t changed. Truth hasn’t changed. Only the battlefield has changed.
So let’s show up there. Let’s teach there. Let’s lead souls to Christ there.
And remember. Salvation isn’t streamed. Grace isn’t virtual. God meets us in the flesh, in the sacraments, in the parish. But the invitation, the teaching, the inspiration? That can and should reach people where they already are. Evangelizing the internet today is just obeying Christ in our time. It’s not optional. It’s the mission. It’s the call.