NEW YORK — The HNP Communications Office has announced the latest edition of the Provincial directory as well as developments to its website and extended reach of social media.
Friars will be receiving their copies of the HNP Directory 2012-13 within the next week. The directory, produced by Provincial Secretary Michael Harlan, OFM, and the HNP Communications Office, is available to friars online on the Extranet.
Meanwhile, communications director Jocelyn Thomas and her team are working on the newsletter and other initiatives for the new year.
The newsletter often includes submissions from readers, and the communications office always welcomes information from both friars and partners-in-ministry. Thomas requests that draft articles be submitted to her a week before the issue is distributed, ideally on the prior Wednesday.
She also invites laypeople to consider writing essays to be published in the “Franciscan Influences” series that debuted two years ago, and includes musings about how friars have affected people’s lives. Since 2010, close to 20 people have contributed.
The dates of the newsletter for the first three months of 2013 are noted below, with the submission deadlines in parentheses.
- Jan. 2 (Dec. 26)
- Jan. 16 (Jan. 9)
- Jan. 30 (Jan. 23)
- Feb. 13 (Feb. 6)
- Feb. 27 (Feb. 20)
- March 13 (March 6)
- March 27 (March 20)
HNP.org
The Province’s website was updated recently to include new data and to make it more convenient for visitors to find information.
The new features include:
- Additional content on the Justice and Peace page including a new Advent reflection in the Resource’s Seasonal Programs section
- Updated information on the Parishes and Education sections of the Our Work page
- The addition of Friar Musings blog by George Corrigan, OFM, on the Blogs page
- Additions to the Friars in the News section on the Communications page
Franciscans on Facebook
Social media usage by the Church has become so popular that this month Pope Benedict created a Twitter account and is tweeting. At the same time, the Province’s social media reach has also been extended. The number of people who ‘like’ the HNP Facebook page has now surpassed 1,200, according to Thomas. As of Dec. 18, the number of persons following the Province on Twitter is 498.
“We are pleased that more people — both religious and lay people — are following the friars of Holy Name Province,” said Thomas.
“From the number of comments that are posted, and the frequency with which our postings are shared with others, we can gauge the topics that interest people,” said Thomas. “Facebook and Twitter are efficient ways to deliver news to our varied constituents. We have been researching ways that our ministries use social media and we welcome friars and lay staff members with ideas and observations about the value of social media to contact the HNP Communications Office. Next month, we will be running an article containing feedback from friars and partners-in-ministry.”
As readers will note, the HNP Communications Office is always seeking ways to make news from the Province more accessible to parishioners, ministry partners and the public. News of the friars and their ministries can be sent to communications@hnp.org.
— Wendy Healy is a freelance writer based in Connecticut.