Prayers For Christmas

Romanian Orthodox church attracts cyber-followers

BUCHAREST, June 26, 2011 (AFP) -The Romanian Orthodox Church, known as a bastion of conservatism, has broken a taboo by embracing the Internet and tending to its flock via cyberspace.

Believers are now invited to send prayers via the Internet, seek their soulmate on Orthodox-only matrimonial websites and watch online the funerals of their loved ones.

Since the dynamic and comparatively young -- at 59 -- Patriarch Daniel became the shepherd of some 19 million Romanian Orthodox believers in 2007, God's word has been increasingly delivered via sermons broadcast live.

The Church has even set up its own media group, Basilica, including a radio and a TV station, a news agency, a newspaper and a "pilgrimage agency", Basilica Travel.

Scores of websites and blogs disseminating Orthodox teachings and facilitating exchanges among believers have also mushroomed, creating what analysts here are calling the "Internet Church".

A sociologist specialising in religions, Mirel Banica said that such websites may raise a few eyebrows but they answer a real need.

"People are busy, many Romanians live abroad and no longer have time to perform all the Orthodox rituals the way their parents used to," he told AFP.

Nearly three million people from this former communist state which joined the EU in 2007 have emigrated over the last few years, looking for better paid jobs in the West.

With Orthodox churches sometimes far away, "they resort to the Internet when it comes to commemorating their dead relatives, for instance," said Banica.

For the sociologist, "the development of the Orthodox blogosphere is religion's answer to the challenges of modern times."

One of the most widely visited such websites, www.crestinortodox.ro -- which had a record 72,000 visitors on Christmas eve -- invites believers to send prayer requests online.

Kids' Christmas prayers | Catholic Hotdish

-Graders — sent us drawings. They were required to finish the phrase, “This Christmas I’ll be praying for…” and then illustrate the finished sentence with a picture.

I recently set aside an evening to go through the entries and select a handful from each category so that the judging panel, made up of members of the newspaper staff, had a manageable number to look at and pick winners.

Some kids have incredible artistic talent. Other entries caught my attention because of the sentiments expressed. Sure, some youth indicated they were praying for video games and other presents for themselves, but the vast majority of young artists were contemplating the real meaning of Christmas when they drew their posters.

Many were praying for world peace, family members, and the poor and homeless. Some had other things on their minds. Here’s a sampling of what some artists said they would be praying for:

“… for every person living in Haiti to have a home.”

“… for families whose loved ones will be meeting Jesus.”

“… for single parents.”

“… for people that lost their jobs.”

“… for my Korean sister Lizzy so there is no war between North and South Korea.”

“… for the seminarians.”

“… for priests. Because they pray for us.”

“… for the archdiocese.”

“… for all the soldiers that are away from their families.”

“ … for all immigrants.”

“… for no judgments.”

“… for parents who are having trouble with marriage.”

“… for breast cancer patients.”

“… for my grandfather to stop smoking for good.”

“… for all the polar bears that are losing their homes.”

“… for the people who don’t know Jesus, that His love will fill their hearts.”

One third-grader said she was praying for The Catholic Spirit.

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