By Eli Pacheco
Digital evangelization worldwide continues to climb to a new level.
That is especially so with Spanish-speaking influencers. Br. Lalo Jara, OFM, is among those on the digital front lines, delivering reflections on faith in his podcast, Fe+Coffee (formerly “Cafeteando con el Padre Lalo.”)
He says social media, once an evangelization tool, has evolved into territory for evangelization. The Dicastery of Communication from the Vatican recognizes it.
“People are there to interact,” said Br. Lalo, “It is where people meet, and we must be there to bring Jesus to those spaces, especially young adults.”
It is one of Br. Lalo’s callings. His digital ministry began as a daily online rosary during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a popular podcast. Now in his fifth year as a digital missionary, he feels this ministry chose him.
One hundred digital missionaries gathered for this conference.
Who relies on digital evangelism?
Br. Lalo recently attended Acts 29, an international meeting of Catholic digital missionaries organized by the Episcopal Conference of Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia, and supported by the Dicastery of Communication at the Vatican.
The Dicastery of Communication is part of the Roman Curia, which oversees communication offices of the Holy See and the Vatican City State.
A hundred digital missionaries from Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela gathered for prayer, workshops, seminars and fellowship, and to learn more about the importance of digital mission for the Church.
Online platforms are serving as the new parish halls and retreat centers. Br. Lalo wants to meet people where they are.
“It is for everyone, especially the people who do not come to Mass or do not want to join the Church,” Br. Lalo said. “How can we bring this perspective of who God is in the Franciscan way.”
Br. Lalo Jara
Faith and coffee
People who listen to “Fe+Coffee”—which means “faith and coffee”—do not tune in for an academic dissertation on faith. Br. Lalo’s kind and spirited delivery is meant to clarify Catholicism for listeners with basic knowledge.
This past season, Br. Lalo focused on the Eucharist, in concert with the Eucharistic Revival in the U.S. Catholic Church.
Coffee in Br. Lalo’s native Costa Rica is more than an export. It is a culture. It is central to life, a 15-minute respite each afternoon that provides time to stop, sip and talk.
Br. Lalo lifts a coffee cup.
“This is an instrument,” he said. “I wanted to bring that to my podcast. As we drink coffee, we will talk about our faith.”
This relaxed environment, he says, opens listeners to discuss what they hear.
“This is an instrument,” Br. Lalo Jara, OFM, said, lifting a coffee cup. “I wanted to bring that to my podcast. As we drink coffee, we will talk about our faith.”
Work in friars’ ‘spare time’
Podcasts have taken off during the last five years, with more than 504 million listeners worldwide, according to data from podcastindex.org. In the United States, 160 million listeners tune in at least monthly, and an estimated 368,000 Spanish-language productions are growing.
Pope Francis’s message gives Franciscans an advantage on the digital stage, says Br. Lalo.
“How Franciscans, Dominicans or Jesuits preach is different,” Br. Lalo said. “Today, we must take advantage of Pope Francis; he is very Franciscan in ways of thinking and acting. Franciscans bring a difference in inclusion and being close to one another.”
Dozens of young people hold up lights during the festival portion of the conference.