I Walked Into St. Mary’s Last Sunday
And I kid you not, there was a typewriter. Not one of those fancy new ones, either. I’m talking about the kind that makes that clack-clack-clack noise and needs ribbons. I turned to Marcus—let’s call him Marcus because I don’t want to embarrass the poor guy—and said, “Marcus, we’re in 2023. What in the name of all that is holy is going on here?”
He just shrugged. “It’s what we’ve always used, Maggie.” Which… yeah. Fair enough. But come on. This isn’t about change for the sake of change. It’s about functionality, efficiency, and, frankly, not looking like we’re stuck in the 1950s.
My Conversation with Father O’Malley
So, I marched—well, I didn’t march, but I walked purposefully—into Father O’Malley’s office. He’s a good man, Father O’Malley. A bit old-school, but a good man. I said, “Father, we need to talk about this typewriter.” He looked up from his desk, which was a mess of papers, and said, “Maggie, what’s the problem? It works just fine.” I said, “Father, it’s 2023. We have office supplies comparison review websites now. We can get better equipment than this.” He chuckled and said, “Maggie, the Church moves slowly. We can’t just rush into things.” I said, “Father, we’re not rushing. We’re just keeping up.”
And that’s the thing. The Church moves slowly, but it does move. And it’s time for that movement to include updating our office supplies. I mean, look at the mess on Father O’Malley’s desk. It’s a disaster. And it’s not just his desk. It’s the desk of every parish secretary, every volunteer, every person who tries to keep our parishes running. It’s a miracle anything gets done at all.
But It’s Not Just About Typewriters
No, it’s not. It’s about so much more than that. It’s about the fact that we’re still using paper bulletins. Paper! In an age where we can send newsletters via email, where we can update websites in real-time, where we can use social media to reach people who might not otherwise set foot in a church. But no, we’re still printing out bulletins. We’re still using typewriters. We’re still doing things the way we’ve always done them, and it’s not working.
I get it. Change is scary. Change is hard. But change is also necessary. And it’s not just necessary for the sake of being modern. It’s necessary because the way we’re doing things now isn’t working. It’s not efficient. It’s not effective. And it’s not reaching people. And that’s the bottom line. We need to reach people. We need to bring them into our churches. We need to show them that the Church is relevant, that it’s alive, that it’s a place where they can find community and faith and hope.
A Tangent: The Time I Tried to Explain Email to a Nun
Speaking of change, let me tell you about the time I tried to explain email to Sister Agnes. It was about three months ago, and I was volunteering in the parish office. Sister Agnes is a wonderful woman, but she’s not exactly tech-savvy. I said, “Sister, have you ever thought about using email?” She looked at me like I had two heads. “Email?” she said. “What’s that?” I said, “It’s like a letter, but it’s digital. You can send it instantly, and the person can read it instantly. No stamps, no envelopes, no waiting for the mail to arrive.” She thought about it for a moment, then said, “But what if the person isn’t home to read it?” I said, “Sister, it doesn’t matter. The email will be there, waiting for them. They can read it whenever they want.” She still looked skeptical, but I could see the wheels turning. And that’s the thing. Change is possible. It’s just a matter of taking that first step.
But back to the typewriters. Look, I’m not saying we need to go out and buy the latest and greatest technology. But we do need to acknowledge that the way we’re doing things now isn’t working. We need to find a better way. And that better way might involve using a computer instead of a typewriter. It might involve sending out a digital newsletter instead of a paper one. It might involve using social media to reach people who might not otherwise hear our message.
The Resistance to Change
And let’s talk about the resistance to change. I get it. Change is scary. Change is hard. But change is also necessary. And the resistance to change is often based on fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the unfamiliar. Fear of losing control. But we can’t let fear hold us back. We can’t let fear keep us stuck in the past. We need to embrace change. We need to move forward. We need to find better ways to do things. And that might mean using a computer instead of a typewriter. It might mean sending out a digital newsletter instead of a paper one. It might mean using social media to reach people who might not otherwise hear our message.
But here’s the thing. Change isn’t just about technology. It’s about mindset. It’s about being open to new ideas. It’s about being willing to try new things. It’s about being willing to fail and learn and grow. And that’s what we need to do. We need to be open to change. We need to be willing to try new things. We need to be willing to fail and learn and grow. Because that’s the only way we’re going to reach people. That’s the only way we’re going to bring them into our churches. That’s the only way we’re going to show them that the Church is relevant, that it’s alive, that it’s a place where they can find community and faith and hope.
So, let’s talk about this. Let’s have a conversation. Let’s figure out how we can update our office supplies. Let’s figure out how we can use technology to reach people. Let’s figure out how we can bring the Church into the 21st century. Because it’s time. It’s past time. And we can’t afford to wait any longer.
I’m not sure what the answer is. But I know that the answer isn’t a typewriter. I know that the answer isn’t a paper bulletin. I know that the answer isn’t doing things the way we’ve always done them. The answer is change. The answer is progress. The answer is moving forward. And that’s what we need to do. We need to move forward. We need to embrace change. We need to find better ways to do things. And we need to do it now.
I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. I’m not saying it’s gonna be quick. But it’s necessary. And it’s past time we started doing it. So, let’s talk about this. Let’s have a conversation. Let’s figure out how we can update our office supplies. Let’s figure out how we can use technology to reach people. Let’s figure out how we can bring the Church into the 21st century. Because it’s time. It’s past time. And we can’t afford to wait any longer.
I’m not sure what the answer is. But I know that the answer isn’t a typewriter. I know that the answer isn’t a paper bulletin. I know that the answer isn’t doing things the way we’ve always done them. The answer is change. The answer is progress. The answer is moving forward. And that’s what we need to do. We need to move forward. We need to embrace change. We need to find better ways to do things. And we need to do it now.
About the Author: Maggie O’Connor is a freelance writer and parishioner at St. Mary’s. She has a passion for technology and a deep love for the Church. She believes that the two can coexist and that the Church can and should embrace technology to reach more people. When she’s not writing, she can be found volunteering in the parish office or trying to explain email to Sister Agnes.
