The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
Technology task force seeks diocesan di
By PAUL R. LEINGANG
Message editor
It's the kind of thing that
happens in many families, ac-
cording to Father David Nun-
ning. They decide to buy a car
or a computer or a television
set, and then struggle to find
which one would be the best
for their needs. Then they look
at their finances and try to de-
cide on what they want, what
they need and what they can
afford.
Father Nunning is one mem-
ber of a task force working to
plot the course of future tech-
nology decisions in the Diocese
of Evansville. The group has
been meeting regularly since
last summer.
What the task force intends
to do is to develop "a diocesan-
wide information management
and technology vision and a
strategy for implementation."
In other words, the question is
this: What are we trying to do
as Church, and how can tech-
nology help us do it better?
The word "technology" often
conjures up a more specific
image than is intended, accord-
ing to Ken Krasavage, diocesan
director of executive services
and task force director.
"Technology" is not just so-
phisticated computer or a high-
tech video Conference system,
Krasavage said. "Technology"
includes the simplest tele-
phone -- a communications
medium used in the church
and daily life for more than a
hundred years.
In a November 1995 memo-
randum to the deans of the dio-
cese Krasavage cited an exam-
ple using the telephone.
Krasavage pointed out that a
priest may learn about a
parishioner's auto accident or
illness by means of a telephone
call; the priest may comfort
and console members of the
family with another telephone
call, and make another call to
the hospital to check on the
room number and patient's
condition.
The phone is more than a
convenience; telephone tech-
nology is in this case the very
means by which ministry is
made possible and enhanced.
Cell phones, pagers, fax ma-
chines, computers and a host of
other new devices are already
widely used throughout the
diocese, Krasavage noted.
These tools of technology help
parish, school and other
church workers to perform
their ministry. Digital video
storage devices, computer con-
'Message Sunday' Jan. 28
begins subscription drive
By PAUL R. LEINGANG
Message editor
Jan. 28 is "Message Sunday"
in the Diocese of Evansville,
and the day that a campaign
traditionally begins for new
and renewed subscriptions to
the diocesan paper.
Posters will be sent to
parishes encouraging families
to subscribe to the Message.
The poster suggests, "Some-
times all you need is a little in-
spiration," and notes that in-
spiration is one of the goals of
Catholic papers and periodi-
cals.
Subscription envelopes will
also be delivered to each
parish, in time for use on "Mes-
sage Sunday" or on the Sun-
days in February. Many
parishes have subscription en-
velopes included with the regu-
lar Sunday offering envelopes.
Subscription renewal en-
velopes will also be inserted in
the Jan. 26 issue.
Rates have increased for the
new subscription year, which
runs from the first Friday of
March 1995 through the last
Friday of February 1996. Rates
this year are $17.50 for an in-
dividual subscription; parishes
which manage circulation of at
least 75 percent of their mem-
bers are entitled to a dis-
counted rate of $15 per sub-
Scription.
While many diocesan papers
in the United States have cut
I1,
JONES BODY SHOP
• Front end alignment
• Complete body rebuilding
o Radiator Service
Estimates Given
Call 254-5358
207 L S0uth- Washington, IN
I
back the number of issues pub-
lished during a year, the Mes-
sage continues to publish every
Friday except the Friday fol-
lowing Christmas. Subscribers
receive 51 issues a year -- at a
cost of less than 35 cents an
issue.
Benedictine Sister Mary
Etta Kiefer, secretary and
Communications office staff
member, is in charge of sub-
scription information. She
maintains and updates the
mailing list.
Questions about your sub-
scription? Contact Sister Mary
Etta at (812)424-5536 or (800J
637-1731.
nections and other means of
communication are already in
the schools of the diocese.
Parishes and schools are
regularly making decisions
about technology -- what to
try, what to buy, and when to
buy it. Some day soon, Krasav-
age said, computers and new
communications technology
will be as commonplace as the
telephone is today, and just as
important for ministry.
After discussing the need for
a cooperative approach to an-
swering the questions technol-
ogy raises, the seven deans of
the diocese gave their approval
to the members of the task
force to continue their work.
Task force members include
Jim Keller and Dave Garrett
from Keller-Schroeder Consul-
tants; Mark Freeman, an IBM
representative who volun-
teered to facilitate the task
force meetings; Steve Kincaid,
of Southwestern Communica-
tions, Evansville; Msgr.
Charles Koch, head of the
diocesan tribunal; Father
David Nunning, pastor of St.
Wendel Church, St. Wendel;
Father Joseph Ziliak, pastor of
St. John Church, Newburgh;
Phyllis Beshears, director of
Catholic Schools; Robert Cox,
diocesan treasurer, and Paul
Leingang, director of Commu-
nications.
In order to gather more in-
formation, the task force has
selected 35 people in the dio-
cese for interviews. The per-
sons to be interviewed include
parish and school secretaries,
parish staff members, deans
and other priests, school prin-
cipals andtechnical experts,
and Catholic Center depart-
ment heads.
The interviews will be con-
ducted by Dave Garrett. The
questions will cover the vari-
ous tasks, ministries and re-
sponsibilities of the Church in
southwestern Indiana, and try
to determine how technology
may improve and enhance the
work of the Church.
After all of the interviews
are completed, task force mem-
bers believe they will have the
foundation for proposing direc-
The Catholic Press: News to Enlighten Your World
1 I $ 6
tions and establishing a dioce-
san-wide strategy.
Krasavage noted that new
technology may make it possi-
ble for individuals and their
parishes to work together in
new and improved ways --
even in ways that have not yet
been discovered.
He said that the rudiments
of a technology plan were initi-
ated a few years back, with the
implementation of Parish Data
System software in many of
the parishes.
Krasavage said that obtain-
ing standardized hardware
and software was not some-
thing that had to be done im-
mediately. "However, a dioce-
' f
san-wide vision
ought to be
lows parishes and 0
to move that way
five or so years."
Krasavage
parishes,
offices w
updated
five or six
out a unified plan.
"Doesn't it makl
so with the
gistic poss
After the 35
complete, the
question
other questions
raised --
for the next steps to
Stewardship by the
The watchword
"immediately." Peter
Andrew, James and
all respond imm
the call of Christ.
as open to God's call
ready to use my ta
His service as those
disciples we
• i i
Stratman's Pharmacy
City-Wide Delivery
413 Locust Street
John and Judy Stratman
425-5293
Duncan's
Bob and
Evansville
Paul
2345 W.
Oak Hill Pharmacy Plaza
Prescription Specialists Shoppi I
Hwy. 62 and N. Weinbach Ave.
LARRY SCHULTHEIS, Prop. Ken and
425-4422
Give an engaged couple the
wedding present.
ii I
Together for
A special Weekend re
engaged cou
at Sarto Cent00
i;
February 16, 17, and
Sponsored by Catholic Charities to help m
For more information, tail:
(812) 423-5456
