Should Future Priests Be TikTok Creators?

Is it better to keep seminarians away from social media, or should they learn how to use it while they’re still in formation?

Fr. Michael Kong shares what he learned while studying social media and evangelization in Rome, and why digital formation matters for the future priests.

For all those curious about the world of tomorrow and how to navigate the crucial choices presented by emerging technology, guided by the practical and timeless wisdom of the Catholic faith, join the Catholic Futurist Podcast.

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Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:10 The Catholic storytelling workshop
• 4:30 Catching eyes in three seconds
• 6:20 Social media as a marketplace
• 8:40 The prayer that reached the most people
• 12:15 Don't give a baby a steak
• 15:30 What seminaries don't teach
• 21:00 His thesis: TikTok vs Instagram
• 25:40 Online reactions vs in person
• 30:00 Why his parish is growing

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

For me, is that as a priest, as a Catholic uh or uh preacher, I see them as a marketplace. So Jesus in his time, there was no social media. So he goes to the marketplace, talk to people, and obviously there's a lot of noise and different things, but people come, didn't like it, left. Um, some people like it, so follow him. So in the social media is uh for me is an opportunity or space for um evangelization and engaging with people.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Okay, Father Michael. Good, thank you, man. Thank you for for coming straight off the train station, I think.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Thank you. Yes, I am. I just came from Palermo. So a bit casual today, but I hope it's okay with you. It is perfectly okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

And so, Father, you were you were in one of the workshops that was focused, I think, on Christian or Catholic storytelling, right? That's right. And um, and what what what is what was that like?

SPEAKER_01 1:02

I think there was a also kind of debate or sharing opinion, I'll say, that uh whether this AI technology uh is helpful for those artists to create their uh work, um, to communicate with people, or uh it can be an obstacle. So whether can we use for good or not? So and then some of the movie or filmmakers and those developers fear that um that may replace the actual human creation. But the other side as well saying that but that helps people who need to spend like three three days to work on this, AI can help to do it on within 30 minutes. So that the other time they the artists can focus on different things too. So it's a pros and cons for that.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

And did you guys talk mostly about like film and like like I guess video media, or were they also talking about other other forms of storytelling?

SPEAKER_01 1:52

I think mostly we are dominated by like movie making or uh um like media type uh rather than paintings or any other on other things because I I found that there's a few few um filmmakers um try to explain and try to share their opinions. And for me, or more like social media side, yeah, they don't really talk about social media. So okay, well I'll talk let them talk. But as a part of art, it doesn't really matter what platform or what means you're using it, but it's just like how we can use AI in uh as a means to communicate with people the truth, uh beauty and goodness.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

That's that's so important. And I wonder, Father, how do you tell it in a world where there's almost too much media?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Well, too. We talked about like three different categories of Christian storytelling or Catholic storytelling. Is it one is like explicit one, which is like um passion of Christ type of movies or films? It's very explicit. Maybe another one could be the implicit way of storytelling, like Star Wars or this different type of Christian meaning in there. And then the third one is just the online presence of Catholics in that world, uh media world. So for me, I know um through is I can talk from the social media sides because that's what I've studied and uh also I'm interested in. Yes, yeah, you just constantly scrolling your screen, even movies on the flight. You spend 30 minutes or an hour just to see all the options and see the trials and all that. But I think it's important for us at the moment is to hook people's eyes, catch his eyes first. Otherwise, they will just keep scrolling. So recently also I discussed about how can we make this um short film or reels or I don't who knows in the future what type of platform will take place? But currently, because it's all short um attention, so like within three seconds, how can we catch people's eyes so that they can actually try to oh okay, try to listen to the message of hope, message of love that we try to spread out?

SPEAKER_00 3:57

How do you relate to social media? What what are you are you concerned about it? Do you I mean do you use it yourself a lot?

SPEAKER_01 4:03

So my opinion on this is again, social media is a tool, not the the thing that we need to get into all the time. So if it is useful to do that you want to do, um why not? But again, if it is distracting or putting you know the suicidal way or even addiction, even that can be addictive. So if that goes in the negative way, then we should find out some way we can stop that too. But for me, is that as a priest, as a Catholic uh or uh preacher, I see them as a marketplace. So Jesus, in his time, there was no social media. So he goes to the marketplace, talks to people, and obviously there's a lot of noise and different things, but people come, didn't like it, left. Um, some people like it, so follow him. So in the social media is a for me is an opportunity or space for um evangelization and engaging with people, but at the same time, uh we need to know and we need to teach how to use it um carefully and respectfully.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

And what are what are ways of using social media like in a particularly successful manner for evangelization?

SPEAKER_01 5:13

So I'm in the uh parish called Q uh Sacred Heart uh in Q in Melbourne, Australia. So we created the social media channel for our church account, and then I have my own personal account as well. The our media team talked about it, and I strongly believe that if someone else doing a great job in a particular content, we don't want to do it as the same thing. So we tried to find the uniqueness of our church um uh social media account. And I think because I play the violin as well, so people they said, Oh, father, not many priests play the violin. I said, Well, I'm not I don't play well. That don't doesn't matter. So the major content of our church account, social media channel is the praying. So each time we set up different themes, like for example, one of the highest views that we had on prayer is to pray for the job. So people are struggling with their finance breakdown and uh finding the job. So simply like 15 seconds or 30 seconds of prayer um for them, and people respond. And I engage with my personal account to respond as well. And the other uh content is yes, play the violin. I recently um played a uh music piece called Ave Maria, and it's uh I think now 300,000 views above. Wow, but again, I we don't have many followers. We are we don't have any. 8,000 is good though. That's pretty small. So so our followers at the moment is like uh TikTok is 8,000 and Instagram is 30,500, but without any hashtag or um any advertisement type of thing. But somehow because of this pure content which um satisfy people's demand or needs at the moment, and they got that response too. So again, that's a uniqueness of our uh social media channel for our parish and the church, and that's how we uh try to communicate um with people. And my target audience is people who don't come to church or haven't heard about Jesus Christ and even left the church. So I want them to come back or have a look, and okay, that's an interesting place. So some of the comments told me um I we saw was that oh, which is where is your church, you know? And I was referring back to them. Try to find the local church that you're leaving. So it's not about bringing people to my church, it's no, it's bringing people to God um and go to their local church and see how it goes.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Do you find that they're they're looking for the truth or they're looking for deeper conversations or meaning?

SPEAKER_01 7:40

I think so. And that's why my idea or goal is to connect between them and people who are already producing the really depth meaning of content. So, for example, Father Michael Schmitz, Bishop Barron, um, Rob Galia, so all this clergy and also the lay faithful um who are producing a really depth um Christian Catholic content. And I'll use this example if you don't mind. Um, we don't give a baby a steak. We give a baby with milk, porridge, and then when he or she's grown up, then we introduce sandwich and then like a nice piece of steak and wine type of thing. So for me, it's like um targeting the little baby. So they don't really cannot digest the contents uh which is already already out there. Um so I'm trying to hook their eyes, okay, but with the implicit meaning or message behind. And when they want to, oh, okay, I want to know something more, then I'll pass it on to those um serious content so that they can actually have a look. So yes, I can say on our social media, I cannot say the others, but our church uh accounts is a lot of positive uh comments and they want to learn something more, then I respond to them. Okay, you can find out this way as well. So yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

And Father, when you were going to seminary, or maybe even just speaking to the the young men that you you meet now who are kind of preparing for the priesthood, was there formation in digital evangelization and using social media you know responsively and effectively?

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Unfortunately, no. Uh I don't think at the time when I was in the seminary, like um 20 years ago or 10 years ago in between. Uh, I don't think social media was part of the big game. Um and uh even now, and like for example, when I was in the seminary, we we are not allowed to use a mobile phone for the first year. And even gradually they allowed uh seminaries to use phones every Saturday, which is I'm only talking about Melbourne. Um I don't know about the other countries or other seminaries, but then nowadays everyone in the seminary can use a mobile phone. Um, there's an internet connection in room, but my time we didn't even have an internet connection in our room. So 40 students use two common computers in the library to search stuff, but now it's changed. Um is it good or bad? I'm not sure. Because recently I also went back to Korea and met other formators in a different diocese in seminary, and I was surprised, amazed that during the seven years of seminary formation in Korea, well, I cannot say others, but two other dioceses, seminaries, still seminaries not um allowed to use mobile phones for seven years in Korea.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

And because of my thesis, um I think it is important for this younger generation to follow that up, what's going on outside of the world, because as I said, that's a marketplace where people are communicating. And few uh, I think it was the last month, the one of the seminaries has invited uh one influencer priest to come and give the lecture to the formators, not the students. So the formators can learn first what's going on on social media, and then they can filter it to seminarians. But the problem is for me is that the formators generally like late 30s, 40s, 50s, seminarians are late teens or early 20s. Do they understand the same content with the same mind? How do they judge what this is helpful for the seminarians or not? Well, this is working or not. And I was I'm hoping again, um, in Australia now, back to Australia, uh, I think I'm the first one who studied this area as well. Um, so I'm hoping one day I may visit the seminaries, not like a lecture style, but kind of sharing what's going on outside at the moment. I can give them some examples of good use of social media or not ideal use of social media so that they can get the idea. Because in the end, as a priest, once you get out um of the seminary, nobody can really control you except the bishop. But again, so they need to learn, as I said, formation and education, they need to learn how to use it properly and then for the truth, um, beauty and goodness, but also for the the message of God.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

And Father, could you share a little bit what you what you studied and your thesis?

SPEAKER_01 11:58

So uh I studied uh social communication at Santa Croce here in Rome, and my thesis was about social media as space for evangelization, comparison between TikTok and Instagram. So I searched the behind or the history of these two platforms, uh, and I interviewed lay influenced Catholics, and so I filtered all these things. There were so many bunch of young fellows doing it, but I think particularly believe the work of lay students or lay young um young people are so crucial because as a priest, as a religious brothers and nuns, we already have an advantage. Uh, but they have to start from the very scratch and be um but then they create the contents that they think it is um working within their generation. So I picked it up uh some of them and they were very kind to do the interview with me. So I sort of compared which one is a suitable um platform for evangelization. Conclusion um is that yes, both are different. So they are different ways of your uh communicating with people. But because of the image or the brand name, Instagram has more influence than TikTok, but but that was last year, so I don't know this year. Because it changes so quickly. Um so but yes, for me is uh again in the future, we don't know what type of social media will come up. But then if we understand the audience, that target audience that we're thinking of, right contents, right language, then we'll be we'll be good to go. And what what trends do you see happening? I think in the future can become it maybe become more common about virtual reality, you know, the VR setup uh things of the Do you think that's gonna come back, virtual reality? Who knows? But at the moment, again, I'm just going back to the Korean situation that on the internet platform or or internet um broadcast, now this virtual reality or these people who use the uh facial recognition using with the character of the animation going viral. And what happens is that the actual person and the virtual, somehow with the technology, do you communicate together? So we don't exactly know in the future where we'll go with this um the method or tools of communication. But again, back to seminarian's um situation that yes, they need to experience some of it or learn about it as well, um, so that they can prepare, okay, things are going that direction, but we are believing in personalized Christ in a Eucharist sacraments, tangible reality. Um, how can we uh communicate that to people out there? I don't really worry about okay, whether this uh evangelization or spreading the gospel is successful or not on that, because even Jesus himself, there was a 5,000 people, 3,000, you know, thousands of people followed. But then when he talked about the truth, how many people remained? And even he turned around and to the apostles like, are you guys are you guys going as well? And no, you're the truth and the life. Where can we go? So for me, is if we deliver the truth on that social media or any medium, the people who are inspired by spirit will come and follow.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

And so have you no, no, no, and have you found when you when you evangelize that you that the that the reaction online is different than the reaction offline?

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Yeah, it can be. But there's uh again pros and cons. With online, you actually hear more about people's opinion. Because again, they they sometimes be uh hide behind their fake idea or whatever, so they actually say it what they really want to say. But in person, sometimes they're to be polite. Oh no, father is always good, and you know, God come on, you know. But yes, we in terms of reaction, I think there's a not really much difference if we do the right thing. So they're praising one or two people come um complaining, of course. Or but for me is that internet platform has more freedom to spell it out what they really think, uh, and it doesn't really uh limit it within my parish. So for example, our parish, we have 200-250 people to come to mass. But social media channel or our parish channel has 8,000. So it's hard to say, you know, it's the same or not. But for me, it's a in physical way in the positive um reaction is a similar, but the negative reaction, I think the online um community has even you know harder um position for for expressing their and their opinions.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

And Father, you can you share a little bit about the different kind of modes of evangelization online from Korea, um, Australia, and then here in Europe and Italy?

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Yes, I could say that still I think it's based on your cultural difference as well. So in Korea, um, I don't see, and obviously I don't really particularly find out the Catholic contents in Korea because I'm uh working in or living in Australia, so I have to try to find it. There's a when I see it, I can understand because I'm I was born and raised in Korea, but then that way not work in Australia. So, and also in Korea, in terms of evangelization on social media, uh they try to go a bit softer way to proclaim or to communicate, whereas in Australia can be a bit um stronger in a way, or a bit more serious, I would say. Um in Europe, I I saw um one or two priests, not from Italy, oh, actually, one brother from Italy and one from Spain. Again, they're using very funny, light um way of communicating with people, but talking about Jesus, of course. So, and even America, because I was in um United States uh um last year, they also are having a different way of communicating. Um again, I think more like people try to be a bit more funny or a bit light-hearted in a way so that people can be familiar with who we are. But again, for me, well, I don't have to do it because they are doing it. So that's why I chose this type of content, which again I don't receive only from Australia, I receive from different worlds about this content. So again, yes, those production on social media from different countries has a different cultural background, and because of the language barrier, so Australia, America, or English-speaking country can really share those contents, whereas Koreans have to change the language or translate the language, same as in Italy. Um, so yeah, that's a they they have their own uniqueness of their cultural background um and their content. But if we see the parishes growing, it's about human connection. So, yes, we are like our parish, Sacred Heart Q, is growing because two things, I think. One choir, beautiful music, second, the children's liturgy. That uh words spread around the area and they saw it, what's going on, and they come. So, yes, I think we try to pass that message to online space, but I think core thing is you actually interact with people in a physical way or in tangible way.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Where would you like to kind of I don't know, you know, thinking about our conference last week, like point AI towards?

SPEAKER_01 19:30

So again, that was amazing to see all these experts on this field and about AI, and everyone has a different opinion, but also different angles. But still, I believe that the human is or the human beings are uh the actual controller of this machine because it's a machine learning, it's a machine uh or or tool. So someone has to use it. So one of the um conversations that we had on our group was creation and creator. So we're using the prompt, right? We are the creator to create this build. God is a creator, we are the creation, and there was a dilemma within this artist that what God is creator, I'm creation, but I'm creator to make a creation. So all these things. Um yes, there's no right or wrongness for me at the moment, but again, okay, if we're going this way, how can we use um educate people? Hang on a second, it's not all about machine, it's all about us, all about the people, dignity, and all these things. So with the children's liturgy, um, we try to engage kids, um, gather together. Obviously, we use uh the our volunteers use YouTube uh skit and everything. We you cannot really escape it, but then they try to ask them to draw something, so do some handwork, gather around so they sort of feel the actual community in that small group too. And then after that, after at the end of the matter, we call them out, show us your product and share what you actually made it and all that. So again, it's a sharing uh within the community and pass it on the importance of human connection.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

Beautiful. Well, Father Michael, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Thank you, Ben. That's for your time.