Much has been made of the contribution of social media tools such as ‘Facebook’ with regard to the recent ‘revolution’ in Tunisia, and indeed to the other North African and Middle Eastern ‘uprisings.’
 
Whatever the role Facebook has played in these events, it appears that social media, is causing a revolution in families, as explained by the following book review taken from our American website:

 
First Sunday of March 2011:
Quinquagesima Sunday
 
The Facebook Effect
(by David Kirkpatrick)

This book launches a warning signal to all parents. The latest danger lies in a new communication device: social media (Myspace, Facebook, etc). Lucky there are parents who still have the choice between having and not having such media in the home. Some are less fortunate and may soon realize how difficult it is to delete its traces. In any case, social media is a problem for teenagers (and children too, alas!) which requires parents to be fully educated about them.
 
The author describes the tragedies of teenagers who fell victims to the new monster. Here is one example out of a thousand: one youth realized only too late that he was being filmed in his room indulging in a promiscuous relationship. Instantly, the film was public and seen through one of these networks. When he realized this, the boy was so psychologically disturbed that he jumped off the Washington Bridge.
 
Besides the trauma, the new reality which comes with social media is a form of radical transparency. It does away with any limits of privacy and sends a message to “Publicize yourself!” The problem with this is that one’s pictures, actions, and thoughts are shared instantly, globally and permanently: exactly the opposite of the Christian culture where people go into the secrecy and sacredness of the confessional to blot out their sins forever.
 
Who has come to grips with the new monster, growing exponentially by adding 25 millions members every month? About half of US citizens are involved, including three out of every four teenagers. Under the guise of the innocent pastime of connecting with friends, here are some of the dangers of these networks.
 
1.  Dishonesty is the hallmark. “Users can construct their public profile”, and are encouraged to fake things. This foments the “virtual self”, the person we fancy we are and we dream to become. Naïve parents have been deceived by children smart enough to set up a dummy page to cover up the real page they use to connect socially. The system encourages them to break from all shackles of parental control, by the common use of initials known only to users, like PIR (parent in room) or POS (parent over shoulder).
2.  Facebook is the most targetable medium in history. Predators of all sorts use it quite successfully, drawing out credit card numbers and other private information. Other types of predators try to seduce youngsters, including toddlers. Obviously impurity is rampant as the medium engages browsers to outdo each other in boldness. Other initials known only to avid users are common, e.g., GYPO—get your pants off—which is, as you can imagine, one of the more “innocent” ones out there. About one in every two children has been bullied or threatened online.
3.  You will be alarmed to know that social media has teenagers hooked for about 20 hours per week. This amounts to about three hours a day taken away from the scarce precious time of family life, studies, and sleep. Three hours in which parents lose total control over children and teens, ignore totally what they do and say, who they talk to, and where they are going! What more is required to show the demise of parental authority? At that point, the parents only have an incidental influence on their children. Part of the problem is that such teens are not adults and cannot yet function responsibly! They are endowed with a huge capacity but without the power to control it by themselves, like a powerful sports car with bicycle brakes. This is in addition to the fact that the package of information is sent at a speed beyond the capacity to analyze and judge. In such conditions, given that the pace of threats is exponentially multiplied, the ability to react is proportionately diminished. The intellect and will turns into a bird brain only able to Twitter!
4. Facebook teaches children to flee from reality. Whoever enters this realm of virtual reality must leave at the gate any natural sensation like smelling a rose, disengaging himself from human interaction and real beings. One leaves real friends and ends up “friending” hundreds of people you know nothing about. You leave reality because you are “not real” until you are connected: the online people you reach with Myspace are more real and more meaningful to you than Mom and Dad and your fellow students at school. You make your own world and your own image to show off, for self-glorification, to feed vanity, and offer yourself an alternate reality.
God entrusted our parents with the care of children for one particular purpose, and that is to teach them the way to know, love, and serve God in this life and save their souls hereafter. Everything leads us to think that Facebook fits poorly into this plan and was devised for a very different goal.
[taken from www.sspx.org]
 
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Cremation
Given modern society’s preference for cremation, it is important to make sure that one’s Will contains specific instructions regarding the Requiem Mass and burial arrangements. Regrettably, even a straightforward phrase, such as ‘I direct that my body be buried in a given place, can be taken to mean that the ashes of my body be buried in a grave… Hence I would recommend that cremation be expressly excluded in a Will so as to avoid any confusion by executors.
 
Keighley
For some time now we have been trying to dispose of our church in Keighley due to serious structural concerns as well as ongoing issues with certain elements within the local community. Thankfully, the property, whose usage is limited due to the original covenants, has just been sold for re-development. Hence whilst looking for another chapel in a better vicinity, Sunday Mass will be celebrated for the time being in a temporary venue in Bingley at the revised time of 3pm. Further details are to be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
 
Sisters’ retreat
Our four Oblate Sisters from Saint Michael’s School, as well as the two Josephite Sisters at Saint Saviour’s House, will be doing their annual retreat in Bristol in Easter Week. Let us remember these generous souls in our prayers, in appreciation for their selfless dedication.
 
Chartres pilgrimage
As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, any enquiries about the Chartres pilgrimage (11-13th June), should be made to Fr Sherry in Athlone, who will be the chaplain for our Irish and British group this year. Also, Father is planning to organise some retreats in Ireland, details of which will be announced in due course in St John’s Bulletin.
 
Australia
Father Matthew Clifton was recently at Holy Cross Seminary, in New South Wales, where he preached the retreat for the beginning of the academic year to priests and seminarians at the invitation of the Rector, Father Vincente Griego. He enjoyed the visit, his first to Australia, and was happy to have seen Father Black in Sydney, who continues to relish life ‘down-under.’ Father McLaughlin from Carluke replaced him for part of his absence, and in addition to seeing the faithful in Herne, Brighton and Woking, appreciated experiencing some lovely spring weather in contrast to the wintry conditions in Scotland. I myself shall be visiting Carluke from 25th March to 1st April, and will be interested to assess the building progress of the new oratory there.
 
Saint Michael’s School
Extension work on the school chapel is now underway so as to accommodate the growing numbers of faithful, at least for the mid-term…
 
Jersey
Whilst the Fathers from our House in Gavrus, Normandy, habitually take care of the Jersey Mass-centre, I am looking forward to making my first visit there for the Sunday Mass at the beginning of April.
 
Stronsay
Thereafter, following a brief visit to Menzingen, I plan to be in Orkney so as to visit Father Nicholas Mary CSSR and Brother Gerard Mary CSSR in Saint Columba’s House, as well as the local faithful. The visit from 8-11th April should also allow us to review ideas concerning the renovation of the adjoining cottage and outbuildings.
 
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This 25th March, the Feast of the Annunciation, it was the twentieth anniversary of the death of Archbishop Lefebvre. We give thanks to Almighty God for having known this champion of the Faith, and we pray for fidelity to his legacy.

Wishing you all a fruitful Lent in preparation for Holy Week,
 
Father Paul Morgan
Superior