Apparently there are invisible creatures wandering around St. Sebastian.
No, not angels and saints - although I hope they are - it’s just that I am not talking about them.
All of a sudden, starting last week, there have been older teens and twenty year olds wandering around the campus staring at their phones. An unusual amount of them. They are very polite and respectful, and quiet. I wanted to go up to someone and ask, “What are you doing here?” but was afraid that they might think I didn’t want them here. I do. I just wanted to know what attracted them.
All of them seem to eventually end up sitting on the bench in front of the church. After sitting there for a few moments, they get up and walk away as quietly as they came and I’m left scratching my head.
Then an article comes out in the paper about the Pokemon Craze engulfing Akron. Apparently it is a virtual reality game of sorts where you can collect little creatures that inhabit the land, one of which seems to have taken up temporary residence on our plaza.
This is so incredibly cool.
But it make me think . . . what is there to learn from this? This “free app” has already earned billions of dollars and has our youth out walking around all over the place. What is the attraction and can we as Church do something similar to get people crazed about faith and saints, God and virtue???
7 comments:
Pokémon is bringing them to the doors, our job is to invite them in.
Evidently even clergy are involved:
http://www.eyeofthetiber.com/2016/07/12/priest-on-cell-crawling-beneath-pews-during-mass-trying-to-catch-pokemon-creatures/
(warning: Eye of the Tiber is a satirical site!)
A friend was just telling me about Pokémon Go and compared it to geo-caching. Maybe some sort of geo-caching adventure could be created for the parish campus, involving saints and church history? It's a start, anyway!
The App Committee! Wouldn't that be awesome?
Most people have talents that would help the development of an app, they just need to meet each other and have a common goal. There are so many different things you could do.
You could do a game. For example, you can do a choose your own adventure where you are exploring the virtues and vices. Have them going around to different areas to complete tasks where they have to make a choice (good, bad, neutral) and the choices they make further the story and limit their choices later on. (If you lie a lot, it take more effort to tell the truth later in the game.) And you can teach them how to overcome vices (If you are prone to anger you must excise meekness.) You could do "expansion packs" which deal with more advance concepts like Just War. Wouldn't that be cool?
Father, what about all the information you have about the artwork and symbols at the parish. If the tech is good enough to pin-point a bench you could use it to explain the artwork around the parish. Wouldn't that be fun? You can walk around and have your phone tell you the importance of that beautiful window.
If you got enough parishes to do something like that maybe there is a way to link it to the "Mass times" website. You could travel and when you visit the parish you'll have information about their artwork and history. I know a lot of people who would love that.
It is just getting the right people together. It wouldn't have to be just one parish.....you could also use it as a way to get some of our non-practicing Catholics more involved in the Church. Everyone wants to use their talents for a good cause.
Hmmmm.....
-K
I suggest we play Jesus Go...and follow where the Holy Spirit leads us. As Christians we are to be lead by the Holy Spirit and bringing the kingdom of Heaven to earth. Pokemon Go has nothing on that!
Fr Damian Ference (professor at Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe) has made mention of Pokémon on his Twitter site 7/11/16:
"Some young {Tolle Lege} friends explained the Pokemon business to me this evening. It turns out there is a spot on our seminary property. Who knew?"
Thank you, Father, for having such a kind and loving attitude towards this situation.
I am amazed how cranky and sour people are being over this game. It won't last forever.
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