Effective use of Internet key to church communications, says Osman

Published: 2007-05-08

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As the U.S. bishops' new communications chief, Helen Osman said one of her concerns will be how the church can use the Internet effectively to communicate with Catholics, especially the post-Vatican II generation. She said she would like to see the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops become "more of a lead agent in how the church uses the Internet." Osman, 46, was named secretary for communications of the USCCB in January. She starts her job Aug. 1. She noted a recent study on Catholic media use in the U.S. by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University that says half of all Catholics are in the post-Vatican II generation. This includes Catholics born after 1960 and those who have no lived experience of the Second Vatican Council or of the church before the changes the council brought. Reaching these Catholics is one of the church's biggest communications challenges, she said.

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