Good Fridays: iPads, Pilgrims and Newlyweds

More good things going on in the Church…especially in New Media:

Campaign increases Mass attendance - More documented success from the Catholics Come Home campaigns.

Join a Holy Land pilgrimage via the…internet? - The Pilgrim Center of Hope invites individuals from all over the world to join them on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land via the Internet. From October 27 through November 10, Pilgrim Center of Hope co-founders Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox will lead 38 pilgrims through Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. Among the pilgrims is the Center’s Ministry Coordinator, Angela Santana, who will share the group’s two-week journey using blogs, videos, photos, and updates posted on Twitter and Facebook.

24 New Cardinals - Always cool.

Dead Sea Scrolls Alive and Well…on the Internet - Now everyone can have easy access to these ancient Christian writings.

USCCB Gets Creative on Facebook and Twitter - The USCCB is using social media to engage Catholics while helping them brush up on their “Pope Culture”. You can also win free books by the Pope! They are about to start this on Twitter. They’ve already done one on Facebook recently.

Catholic Exchange Makeover - CatholicExchange.com just launched a new and improved version of their website. It’s great to see more and more good Catholic publications getting it done online.

5 Ways the iPad can help your faith - Pat Padley wrote a good post on some ways technology (specifically the iPad…but most would apply to the iPhone or other devices, too) can help us in our faith.

Conan O’Brian’s first guest - Conan is doing a poll to see who his first guest on his first new show should be. The Pope is in the running. And even though it is extremely unlikely the Pope will ever appear there, it would be cool for him to win anyway. So go vote for him!

Apostles of New Media - It’s fun to see successors to Jesus’ Apostles playing with and effectively using technology.

Catholic Aggie helps save Chilean Miners - Speaking of technology, one of the key people who helped figure out how to save the Chilean miners was a Catholic Texas Aggie who is also on his way to becoming a deacon.

Vatican official calls for pastoral conversion on New Media - Worth a quick read.

Opportunity for Catholic Newlyweds - If you are planning a trip to Rome within a year of your wedding, you are eligible to receive a special blessing from the Holy Father.

Have a great weekend and a good Friday!

Good Fridays is a periodic series highlighting some good things going on in the Church - especially those using new media or innovative ideas to more effectively live out the mission of the Church.