Father Robert Barron may be ready for his close-up. The media-savvy Roman Catholic priest whose public television series "Catholicism" drew wide acclaim, has been named one of three new auxiliary bishops for Los Angeles, arguably the world's media capital.
Father Barron's media success may have played a role in his appointment to the Los Angeles position. According to an online biography at his Word on Fire ministry, the priest's "YouTube videos have been viewed over 13 million times. Next to Pope Francis, he is the most-followed Catholic leader on social media."
That media work, a fellow Catholic broadcaster said, means Father Barron "can speak the language of California." Father Thomas Rosica, chief executive of Canada's Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, said, "I think it's a wonderful appointment, Father Robert Barron is a great teacher, theologian, a pastor and he knows how to communicate."
While the Roman Catholic Church, with 1.2 billion members around the world, is the largest and perhaps best-known Christian denomination, its media presence has varied over the years.
In the 1950s, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's weekly television broadcasts about the Catholic faith drew audiences to the nascent medium. Pope Francis, who appointed Father Barron to the Los Angeles position, has been very active in both broadcast and social media during the 2 1/2 years of his pontificate. The pope has given several media interviews, is known to speak in "sound bite" style phrases, and has 6.65 million Twitter followers.
In past decades, however, the Catholic message has sometimes contended with other religious programming for an audience. Protestant broadcasters dominate the airwaves in many Catholic nations, such as Brazil. At the same time, the Catholic-focused EWTN cable channel has gained wide distribution in the United States and has a Latin American affiliate.
Along with the high-profile appointment, Vatican Radio disclosed the names of two additional auxiliary bishops: Monsignor Joseph V. Brennan, the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia at the Los Angeles archdiocese, and Monsignor David G. OConnell, a native of Ireland and pastor of Saint Michael Parish in Los Angeles.
The pontiff also accepted the resignation of auxiliary Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson, who Vatican Radio reported had reached the church's mandatory retirement age.
The Los Angeles archdiocese is the largest Catholic region in the United States, church officials say, with 4.3 million Catholics out of a population of nearly 11.3 million, according to the diocesan website.
Father Barron, in a statement, cited the influence of the late Chicago archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, in orienting his work toward media outreach and evangelism.
"The mission closest to (Cardinal George's) heart was the evangelization of the culture, bringing Christ to the arenas of media, politics, law, education, the arts, etc," Father Barron said. "I cant think of a more exciting field for this sort of work than Los Angeles, which is certainly one of the great cultural centers of our time."
The new auxiliary bishop won't be the only Roman Catholic voice in the Los Angeles media community. Sister Rose Pacatte regularly blogs about film for Patheos.com and spoke earlier this year about how God is portrayed on screen.
Father Barron's media success may have played a role in his appointment to the Los Angeles position. According to an online biography at his Word on Fire ministry, the priest's "YouTube videos have been viewed over 13 million times. Next to Pope Francis, he is the most-followed Catholic leader on social media."
That media work, a fellow Catholic broadcaster said, means Father Barron "can speak the language of California." Father Thomas Rosica, chief executive of Canada's Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, said, "I think it's a wonderful appointment, Father Robert Barron is a great teacher, theologian, a pastor and he knows how to communicate."
While the Roman Catholic Church, with 1.2 billion members around the world, is the largest and perhaps best-known Christian denomination, its media presence has varied over the years.
In the 1950s, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's weekly television broadcasts about the Catholic faith drew audiences to the nascent medium. Pope Francis, who appointed Father Barron to the Los Angeles position, has been very active in both broadcast and social media during the 2 1/2 years of his pontificate. The pope has given several media interviews, is known to speak in "sound bite" style phrases, and has 6.65 million Twitter followers.
In past decades, however, the Catholic message has sometimes contended with other religious programming for an audience. Protestant broadcasters dominate the airwaves in many Catholic nations, such as Brazil. At the same time, the Catholic-focused EWTN cable channel has gained wide distribution in the United States and has a Latin American affiliate.
Along with the high-profile appointment, Vatican Radio disclosed the names of two additional auxiliary bishops: Monsignor Joseph V. Brennan, the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia at the Los Angeles archdiocese, and Monsignor David G. OConnell, a native of Ireland and pastor of Saint Michael Parish in Los Angeles.
The pontiff also accepted the resignation of auxiliary Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson, who Vatican Radio reported had reached the church's mandatory retirement age.
The Los Angeles archdiocese is the largest Catholic region in the United States, church officials say, with 4.3 million Catholics out of a population of nearly 11.3 million, according to the diocesan website.
Father Barron, in a statement, cited the influence of the late Chicago archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, in orienting his work toward media outreach and evangelism.
"The mission closest to (Cardinal George's) heart was the evangelization of the culture, bringing Christ to the arenas of media, politics, law, education, the arts, etc," Father Barron said. "I cant think of a more exciting field for this sort of work than Los Angeles, which is certainly one of the great cultural centers of our time."
The new auxiliary bishop won't be the only Roman Catholic voice in the Los Angeles media community. Sister Rose Pacatte regularly blogs about film for Patheos.com and spoke earlier this year about how God is portrayed on screen.