The magazine “Vida Nueva“, on July 17th, published the following article about Fr. Guillermo Serra, LC and his social media networks at the service of evangelization.

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The Spanish priest Guillermo Serra started using Facebook in 2011. The project assigned to him at that time by the Legionaries of Christ, a religious congregation to which he belongs, required him to stay in contact with many people, and someone suggested he use this social network to fulfill his mission.

He had heard of Facebook but thought it was “a waste of time”; however, he soon discovered its evangelizing potential: he began by posting spiritual reflections, and seeing that they were very well received, after a few months he opened the public page ‘Father Guillermo Serra’, which now has nearly a million followers.

Later, he was encouraged to explore other platforms, and today he is considered one of the priests with the largest number of followers on social media: on Instagram he has more than 150,000; on Twitter, with over 80,000, and on YouTube, with more than 56,000.

From obligation to preference

In an interview with Vida Nueva, Father Guillermo explains that his early years as a priest did not involve a direct evangelization mission, but rather he served as a secretary and counselor, spending a lot of time in front of the computer. It was there that he discovered the evangelizing potential of social media and then –he says– “launched the networks, in Jesus’ name.”

Currently, the main countries where his followers are located on social media are Mexico, first; then the United States, Colombia, Argentina, and Venezuela. Most of his followers are women, just over 70%, and the largest age range is from 45 to 55 years.

Father Guillermo has been understanding the unique dynamics of each social network. He started with Facebook and Instagram, but now he uses Twitter more, as he assures that people are eager for positive, spiritual messages and prayers, and “I can say that Twitter users find answers and comfort by reading something that can give them peace in a short time.”

Successful meditations

A few years ago, Father Guillermo started the project called “Audio Evangelio,” a brief meditation on the Gospel of each day sent via WhatsApp. “The groups grew and now more than 16,000 people receive it and share it in their groups,” he affirms.

He also created the “Caminos,” which are daily meditations, also sent via WhatsApp, along with others to prepare for Christmas and Easter.

When referring to the content preferred by his audience, he revealed that without a doubt, it is everything that “helps them pray better, connect with God, know their faith, and find a haven of peace amid daily turmoil. That’s why the ‘Audio Evangelio’ and the ‘Caminos’ have been so well received.”

Launching the networks, in the digital lake

What do you consider your greatest achievement in this path of evangelization through social media?

One might think of the number of followers, but I believe that’s a somewhat superficial way to measure impact. It doesn’t really depend on oneself, there are many factors involved in gaining followers, and we are also dependent on the algorithms of each social network.

That’s why I like to measure achievements by having found a virtual way, but no less real, to bring people closer to God. I could say it’s the creation of a “virtual parish,” which, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, has proven to be very useful and practical. Everything sown over the years has now borne wonderful visible fruit, because people have felt welcomed, accompanied, and supported in times of great tribulation.

And all of this within the context of the Church’s call, since Vatican II, to use the media as a privileged place to transmit Jesus’ message. In fact, since 1967, the Church has celebrated the World Communications Day, where the Pope delivers a message. In recent years, social networks have been among the main topics.

So I could say that the greatest achievement is having responded to this need to use the media to evangelize, to launch the networks, in the digital lake and to make known the boat of Jesus, who calls us to a new life and to sanctify all realities of the world, guiding them toward the salvation of men.

Beware of fear and ignorance!

For the Legionary priest, the main obstacles to evangelizing on social media have been two: Fear and initial ignorance of what a social network is and how it works.

Then come the challenges –he explains– and one of them is knowing how to find the balance between the message you want to transmit and how to do it, and this, without spending too much time, which is never enough.

Another challenge is that the Church, although it has made great strides, still has a long way to go to work professionally in digital communication.

In this regard, he adds: “The pandemic has given a big boost and has partly solved another challenge, which was individual effort with little coordination. Now interesting efforts with much fruit have been detected. For example, among four priests, we held a virtual marriage renewal with over 20,000 participating couples.”

Similarly –he emphasizes– many priests and catechists have had to use social media and have found a way to stay close to the faithful.

Social networks in the “new normal”

Father Guillermo Serra recounts what happened to him a few weeks ago when a school security police officer approached him and asked: ‘Father, will you continue sending ‘The Path of the Heart of Jesus’?’.

“I didn’t quite understand what he meant; I only knew him by sight because police officers rotate through the school and university. I stopped, asked him: ‘Sorry?’. He asked me the same thing again, and added: ‘Your audios arrive every day and help me a lot’. At that moment, I understood that social networks have no barriers and that you can reach close people after many turns.”

However, that man’s question made the priest see a new challenge that will come hand in hand with the “new normal”: lack of time. With the new dynamic –he says– there will no longer be enough time to dedicate to social media, but it is important to be and remain present on them. There’s no other way.

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Listen here the audios with reflections on the daily Gospel by Fr. Guillermo Serra, LC