The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

 

The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have taken yet another new step into the world of technology as one way to share their story. The congregation has set up its own channel on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/user/SrsofStFrancisPhila. 

 

“We had our DVD, Gospel Women Making a Difference, adjusted to meet YouTube’s size requirements and now have all four segments posted on the site,” said Florence Smith, director of communications for the congregation. “Because we’ve set up our own channel, we’re also able to link to other videos related to our corporate stands, our sponsored ministries, and other issues in which our sisters are involved in the ‘favorites’section.”

 

The YouTube connection is not the congregation’s only venture into the world of cyberspace. They have had a website, www.osfphila.org, for many years and, for the past two years have had a blog, www.franciscanlife.blogspot.com. Several sisters are also sharing their congregation’s message via FaceBook. Videoconferencing is often used as an alternative to long distance travel for meetings. Internally the sisters use an intranet system to relay announcements and as a means of accessing publications.

 

YouTube is a video-sharing website where users can upload, view, and share video clips of all kinds. The site is very popular with thousands of regular viewers. Many religious organizations have taken advantage of its popularity to spread their message. “We are excited about this new way of spreading the word about our congregation,” Smith said. “We invite everyone to take a look for themselves. This is a work in progress, so check back regularly for updates.”