Denver Catholic

Archbishop to host Christmas TeleForum TM BY JULIE FILBY If you had the opportunity to receive a phone call from your archbishop, would you pick up? That's the question the Arch- diocese of Denver is asking as it launches a new opportunity for the faithful of northern Col- orado to connect with Arch- bishop Samuel Aquila through live TeleForum events, a prod- uct of the locally based corpo- ration Broadnet ® . The first TeleForum in an upcoming series with the arch- bishop will feature a Christmas message, and will take place 7 p.m. Dec. 21. Titled "Enter the Mystery," the free event will feature specific ways for Catholics to live the season of Christmas more intentionally. The phone call is open to ev- eryone (see accompanying in- formation on how to register). The innovative technology will allow Archbishop Aquila, and potentially other archdi- ocesan leaders, to listen to and speak with thousands of event participants in real time. Those who connect on the call will have the opportunity to ask questions and leave feedback. "The phone call gives the archbishop a real-time tool to spread a message to a large number of people in a very personal and human way," said Karna Swanson, the executive director of communications for the archdiocese. "Addition- ally, the TeleForum is a way for any Catholic to feel engaged with the Church and it's an opportunity to ask questions." Archbishop Aquila previous- ly used the format in January 2013 to thank donors for their contributions to The New Har- vest campaign that supports the archdiocese's two seminar- ies. About 5,500 accepted the invitation to join in the call, ask questions and leave feedback to help organizers know "what they care about and why." "The Church has to be a community that feels two- way," Steve Patterson, CEO of Broadnet and a parishioner of St. Mary Parish in Littleton told the Denver Catholic Regis- ter Nov. 21 from his Highlands Ranch office. "To build any au- dience, they have to feel like you understand them." Since the "average Catholic" does not have regular access to the archbishop, sometimes even to their own pastor, he said, TeleForum events can provide that access more eas- ily. It allows the Church in northern Colorado another means to be "authentic, acces- sible and real" and a vehicle to be "really good at listening." Broadnet is donating the TeleForum technology to the archdiocese. Since the com- pany's inception in 2004, they have managed more than 14,000 telephone interactive events. Those calls have in- volved politicians and world leaders, teams from all ma- jor professional sports in- cluding the Denver Broncos and a number of faith-based organizations. "If it's true the most effective communication strategy is to reach people where they're at, INDEX Archbishop's column .......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 View from the Pew ..........................4 Letters to the Editor .......................5 Bulletin Board ...................................9 Crossword/Word Search ................9 TV Mass schedule .......................... 10 Service Directory .............................11 Catholics, the lines are open DCR FILE PHOTO BY JAMES BACA ARCHBISHOP Samuel Aquila, pictured here, will host a phone call, open to all Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver, at 7 p.m. Dec. 21 to deliver a Christmas message, as well as to offer participants an opportunity to ask questions and leave feedback. NOVEMBER 26, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 41 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE NATIONAL NEWS PAGE 2 PHOTO BY KEVIN HAGEN/GETTY IMAGES Immigration reform needs all branches involved, archbishop says CATHOLIC SCHOOLS PAGE 7 Work and play makes students bright The magic school bus arrives at Lourdes See TeleForum, Page 3

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