CEDAR KNOLLS No buzzers. No lightening rounds. No need to “phone a friend” — and no prizes behind Door No. 3. Friends of Father Jhon Madrid on Facebook only need to read his daily posts on the social-networking website to play his quiz game, “Today’s Question.” He tests his audience’s knowledge of all things Catholic — from the saints and Church history to Scripture and the Sacraments.
Almost every day, these Facebook friends play along for the prizes of having a little fun, some friendly competition and the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith. Their host is Father Madrid, parochial vicar of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish here, who this year started posting “Today’s Question,” including one of his latest, “Who is the patron saint of human trafficking and slavery?” As soon as they read the question, his friends try to reply quickly with the correct answer. Later in the day, Father Madrid replies with the right response — St. Josephine Bakhita for that question — sometimes followed by a link to an Internet source with additional information.
“It’s a way to reach out to people. This helps bring them to an encounter with Christ,” said Father Madrid, who poses questions that either require a selection from multiple choice or an answer of a word or a few words. “I know that some people look up the answers, which is good because they are getting to know various Catholic resources. Sometimes, I’m surprised by their different answers. Sometimes, they ask more questions. It’s a way to evangelize,” he said.
With “Today’s Question,” Madrid answers the Church’s call to engage in the New Evangelization, which includes using the latest technology to spread the “Good News” of the Gospel. The Colombian-born priest posts questions in both English and Spanish — for his family and friends in his homeland — on a broad variety of Catholic subjects. Sometimes, he ties a question to the feast day of a saint, such as that of St. John Bosco on Jan. 31, or an event, such as the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, on Jan. 22 with his question about St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron for the unborn.
“I enjoy it. It’s a great resource to get to know the Church better,” said Debbie Wickham, director of religious education at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Oak Ridge, and St. John Vianney Parish, Stockholm, where Father Madrid had previously served as parochial vicar. For a while, Wickham has been distributing worksheets with her own quiz questions about the faith to the parishes’ religious education teachers. “With Father Madrid’s ‘Today’s Question,’ I realize that the more we can learn about the faith, the more we can help the Church,” she said.
Sometimes, the priest’s questions spark spirited dialogue and interested answers from respondents. Last month, he posed the question, “Where was the first Catholic Church in the United States founded?” Many guessed Maryland or St. Augustine, Fla. as thought by one person who wrote that the Sunshine State was first a Spanish — and Catholic — colony. Father Brendan Murray, pastor of Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary parishes, both in Dover, asked for a clarification of the question, adding, “If by ‘Church’ you mean ‘diocese’, then Baltimore is correct. If you mean a church building, then there are several claimants.” It was Wickham, who first posted the correct answer: Sante Fe, N.M. in San Miguel.
“We were there several times,” Wickham said. Later, her husband, Joe, chimed in with the same answer, writing, “I was looking for the picture [of San Miguel] that I have but can’t find it.”
In another post, Father Madrid asked, “According to the Catholic faith, there are three theological virtues. Which of these is not one of them: faith, hope, charity or justice?” One woman replied, “Father Jhon that question must have been way too easy unless we are all wrong.” Some Facebook friends used their responses to help form the other contestants spiritually. Father Murray — pastor of two parishes in Dover where Father Madrid served as a seminarian — posted with the correct answer — justice — and added, “Justice is a Catholic virtue and not necessary for salvation. Theological means virtue that has God as its direct object.”
For one question, Father Madrid asked, “The book of prayers used by the priest at Mass is called: Roman Missal, Missalette, Lectionary or Sacramentary.” One woman wrote, “I say Roman Missal. I think I remember hearing that as a kid.” The priest confirmed that as the correct answer, calling the Roman Missal “the book containing the prescribed prayers, chants, and instructions for the celebration of Mass in the Roman Catholic Church.” Then, he gave a link with more information: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and.../the-mass/roman-missal/.
Father Madrid said that he got the idea for “Today’s Question” from Deacon Alfredo Fanelli of Notre Dame, who has been sending emails regularly to more than 300 people with inspirational quotes, short Church teachings and questions about the faith.
This [‘Today’s Question’] is a neat way to evangelize. It keeps people interested. It’s an easy way to learn more about the Church and God’s Word,” said Father Murray, who noted that the quiz game can reach a wider audience on Facebook because friends of the respondents — even those not friends with Father Madrid — can view the respondents’ replies. “Each day, I look forward to it,” Father Murray said.