Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests

122 | GUIDE TO ONGOING FORMATION FOR PRIESTS

parish leaders. In the Internet age, when fundraising may be as simple as posting a crowdsourcing request, the clergy need ongoing formation in how money may or should be raised for worthy causes, including the account ability necessary to the process. 226 This education will be more effective if a diocese or eparchy considers developing written protocols for fundraising.

BOUNDARIES IN COMMUNICATIONS

313. This area is fairly broad, in that it includes concerns related to preaching, print publications (including the parish bulletin), interactions with traditional media, and engagement with social media. In the culturally and politically polarized contemporary setting, priests need good ongoing formation in prudence, discretion, and the discipline of thinking and speaking on behalf of the Church. In the case of digital media, younger priests are more often familiar with using this technology. Some priests reared in the digital age might mix personal and pastoral use of digital media. In both cases the priest should be careful not to engage in aggres sive or harassing communications. Digital and social media tend to absorb inordinate amounts of time and attention, serve as a distraction, and lower attention span. For this reason, priests need to be assisted to cultivate prudence in their use of media, so that their media usage serves the mission of the Church, and serves them, in healthy ways. The digital realm also poses significant risks to proper chaste living for the clergy. This too must be addressed in ongoing formation.

226 See, for example, CIC, c. 1262, and USCCB, “Complementary Norm to Canon 1262— Fundraising Appeals,” June 8, 2007, www.usccb.org/committees/canonical-affairs-church-governance/ complementary-norms#tab—canon-1262-fundraising-appeals .