From lighthearted conversations to courses on Aquinas, the Dominican Friars are expanding their digital evangelization
Can you miss your vocation? Are there foolproof steps to making a good decision? Are Catholics actually meant to be weird? How should a Christian respond to Pride Month? And have you seen the Jubilee manga mascot?
If any of these questions caught your attention, you might have already joined the massive crowds following Godsplaining (including some 25,000 among the young generations of Instagram).
Pews jammed with a crowd of 25,000 young people for a Sunday homily would probably catch some attention, but audience numbers in the thousands (or millions) is one of the perks of the online world.
The Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph believe that the souls in this vast mission field can’t be left to flounder amid the many questionable and sometimes outright appalling things vying for their attention through their screens. So friars were quick to take their preaching online – and they continue to find ways to maximize and develop their missionary endeavors in this new mission land.
Large vocation classes for the Province of St. Joseph have allowed friars to branch out beyond parish ministry and classroom teaching to embrace these digital ventures. Some of their more developed initiatives already have five years of history. Others are just starting out, and even the Dominican student brothers, having grown up in an online world, have eagerly joined in.
The friars can be seen across many audio and visual platforms. A diverse array of individuals encounter the Catholic faith and the Dominican charism through them in a new way every day. And geography isn’t a barrier since followers from all over the world can (and do) tune in.
Successful online initiatives include Godsplaining, Contemplata, Aquinas 101, the Thomistic Institute Podcast and the participation of tens of thousands of pilgrims through the livestream of the annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage.
The above questions have already given you a taste of Godsplaining.
Godsplaining is a podcast, available on audio podcast platforms as well as YouTube — featuring a regular rotation of Dominican hosts: Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P.; Fr. Bonaventure Chapman, O.P.; Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.; and Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P.
They explore various aspects of the faith in a conversational tone–lighthearted and joyful while still respecting the serious and sacred nature of the issues they discuss. Their posts on social media enable them to interact with humor but still provide resources for growing in faith.
For example, one commenter responded to a post on the Rosary by saying, “I didn’t know that you had all these little guidebooks! My wife is currently in OCIA and I think I’ll start picking some up as they become applicable.”
Godsplaining has its origins in Louisville, Kentucky, when Fr. Gregory Pine was assigned to St. Louis Bertrand Parish. He and another Dominican friar began posting their parish talks online and received a positive reception. This gave Fr. Gregory the idea to reach out to some of his Dominican confreres and suggest they start a podcast, which they did in 2020.
Fr. Gregory also started the Aquinas 101 video series, an initiative of the Thomistic Institute. It follows a lecture format, with each featured speaker discussing the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. Topics range from the basics — including “Who is St. Thomas Aquinas?” — to more advanced themes, such as the causality of the Sacraments and the indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity in human souls by grace.
Aquinas 101 is not just a haphazard assortment of talks. The Thomistic Institute has intentionally created an entire array of courses that people can sign up for and work through at their own pace to develop a systematic understanding of the Catholic faith according to the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Millions of viewers have grown in their faith through Aquinas 101. Many non-Catholics who stumbled across the series have been impressed by its ability to make the mysteries of the faith intelligible and for some this was the first step of their journey into the Catholic Church. Aquinas 101 has also been translated into several languages and has been used by seminarians in a number of countries, including those where Christians are persecuted for their faith, to supplement their studies in preparation for the priesthood.
Contemplata, a podcast hosted by Fr. James Brent, O.P., complements the other Dominican digital offerings by taking viewers and listeners into contemplative prayer.
Since Contemplata was first released in February 2024, Fr. James has led listeners on a journey to discover in a deeper way the Holy Trinity’s dwelling within their souls. Topics have included the heart as the center of a person’s being where one encounters the Holy Trinity; how to worship God more fully in the Mass; and metanoia–conversion of heart.
In more recent episodes, he has begun a lectio divina series, which helps listeners unpack the riches of Scripture.
Fr. James’ podcast is in keeping with the long tradition of Dominicans leading the ordinary faithful to the heights of contemplative prayer.
Contemplata is for people “at large,” he said, to “help them to walk more deeply the path of prayerful union with God and enjoy a deeper participation in the liturgical life of the Church.” And it has. One listener wrote in to say that Contemplata episodes on the Eucharist helped bring about his wife’s conversion and reception into the Church.
Fr. James also learned that there has been an unauthorized Spanish translation of the podcast which has been circulating in Latin America. The podcast has also become popular with FOCUS Missionaries on college campuses.
The excitement surrounding the podcast is perhaps not surprising. Fr. James has described people as “starving” for spiritual nourishment. “They’re hungry for the Word of God,” he said. “They want to meditate on the Word of God.”
With the growth in the Dominican media apostolate, this year the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph launched their own dedicated Dominican Friars Media platform to help people easily engage with a wide variety of spiritually nourishing content. Visitors to the site can watch episodes of Contemplata, Godsplaining, and Aquinas 101, listen to the Thomistic Institute Podcast, pray a monthly novena and hear talks about the Rosary, as well as find music albums ranging from Dominican chant to the bluegrass music of the Hillbilly Thomists and academic publications including the Dominicana Journal and The Thomist.
The site also hosts coverage of major Dominican events, such as the annual priestly ordinations for the Province of St. Joseph and the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. Last, but not least, it includes recordings of friars preaching from traditional pulpits too. In other words, this new digital platform is a real Dominican Netflix.
Dominican Friars Media is available at media.dominicanfriars.org.
Traditional (secular) media too
It’s not just people in the Church who are interested in what Dominican preachers have to say.
Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., has used his role as a television news commentator to explain the faith to a wide and curious audience on both Catholic channels like EWTN and secular channels such as CNN.
His experience with media dates back to his senior year of college, when he managed the campus radio station. In the Order, he continued his communications experience by editing Dominicana, a journal published by the student brothers of the Province of St. Joseph. He then went on to serve as the editor of the Aleteia English website and Our Sunday Visitor magazine. He was most recently appointed as the General Promoter for Media for the entire Dominican Order.
While the death of Pope Francis and election of Pope Leo XIV intrigued the Catholic world, it also prompted many outside of the faith to ask questions and consider what the Church has to offer. Google searches for “How do I become Catholic?” shot up during the recent conclave, as the Church dominated the news cycle.
“The world sat for days watching a seagull next to a chimney,” Fr. Patrick pointed out. The Sistine Chapel bird served as a lighthearted but poignant reminder of the Church’s enduring global relevance.
As the world waited for white smoke, Fr. Patrick had a unique opportunity. His cable news interviews allowed him to speak about topics rarely discussed in the secular media: the mystery of life after death; the sacred Liturgy; and what Catholics believe about the Church, especially St. Peter and the papacy.
“Getting to say all of that is an extraordinary thing,” he said.
Fr. Patrick easily stands out among other commentators, and not just because of his white habit. He said most Americans view the media through a “political prism,” and are “feeling angrier and more alienated even when their side is winning.”
He offers an alternative angle to viewers: “I simply approach these opportunities with the proclamation of the Gospel in mind.”
Preaching for the Salvation of Souls
Embracing their mission of preaching for the salvation of souls leads Dominican Friars to always seek out new opportunities to share the saving truth of Jesus Christ.
In embracing the newest opportunities for digital evangelization online, the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph follow in the footsteps of previous generations of friars who embraced new technologies such as the printing press and the radio to reach as many souls as possible. Pope Leo has also made it clear that the path for the Church today is not to withdraw but rather to prudently engage the digital world. And the Dominican Friars are leading the charge.
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