Father Borre: Digital evangelization must ensure that people do not remain virtual

As digital evangelizers we must aim for people to have an encounter with God and not remain virtual, but rather to approach their parishes and communities, said Father Borre, a Mexican priest who evangelizes on social networks and who is attending these days to the fifth edition of Acts 29.

Facts 29 is an initiative that was born in Mexico in 2021 and that from July 9 to 14 brings together in Bogotá (Colombia) about 100 digital evangelizers from 20 countries, most of them from Latin America, but also from the United States, Spain and Italy .

One of the participants is Father José Juan Montalvo —known on social networks as the Father Borre—, who is founder of the digital pastoral of the Archdiocese of Monterrey and main promoter of the Acts 29 initiative.

Father Borre, who also works in the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey, Nuevo León (Mexico), shares his life and reflections through Instagram, YouTubex y Facebook.

During a dialogue with ACI Prensa, the priest addressed the role of digital missionaries and pointed out that the main advice for those who evangelize through the Internet is that “the message is not from us, the message is from our Lord. And that is the message we have to convey.”

“We must know and be aware that this mission is to bring the Good News that the Lord has entrusted to us. It’s not us. I have always said that sometimes digital missionaries are the ones who point to the sky, but you have to be careful because sometimes people only see the finger that is pointing to the sky,” he indicated.

So, he added, digital missionaries must be careful and have a very good preparation that allows them to provide better content, so that “people really end up getting closer to God, looking at God, getting closer to their communities, to their parishes and not being “They remain only in the virtual.”

Regarding the development of pastoral work on the Internet, Father Borre said that digital evangelizers will learn from their mistakes and will discover new opportunities, as has happened with “all the missionaries who have existed in the history of the Church.” “Because Pope Francis tells us: I prefer a Church in a troubled exit than one that is locked up and sick,” he expressed.

About Acts 29

About the edition of Acts 29 that is taking place in Colombia, Father Borre explained that “it is not a congress and it is not a retreat,” but rather “an experience where participants pray together, but also receive talks on doctrinal and technical issues.” .

Likewise, he indicated that the objective is also that “digital missionaries do not feel alone, but rather feel part of the Church, accompanied.”

Among the institutions that support the fifth edition of Acts 29 are the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (Celam), the Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) and the Archbishopric of Bogotá.

In addition to Father Borre, Catholic Link, Father Astolfo Moreno, Adoración Creativa, Father John Hebert Rojas, Fruto del Madero, Hakuna, Colombian singer Ana Bolívar, Aldana Canale, Camino Musica, Unión Tres, Yuly and Josh, Ecos also participate. and many more.

The CEC reported that the meeting includes for tomorrow, Saturday, “a great festival open to the public at the Sans Façon School. During the event, spiritual and musical activities, conferences, talks and workshops will be carried out that will seek to motivate others for the digital mission.”