HOLY BLOG, CARDINAL!

Turns out even the leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has a blog.

The spiritual site was launched Wednesday in preparation for Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley's trip to Rome where he will serve as the honored celebrant of the Padre Pio Mass at the Shrine of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo and conduct other archdiocesean business.

However, it seems Cardinal Sean's blog will last longer than his trip abroad as he writes:

I want to share with you, Catholics of Boston, my experiences as I return to Rome as a Cardinal and more importantly, I want to share with you a sense of what it is that Boston's Archbishop does on business in Rome representing the people of the Archdiocese.

The Cardinal's first posted two pictures of himself celebrating was appears to be a Mass. His first post is pretty much a roundup of his day as he prepares to leave for Rome.

It will be interesting to see how one of the oldest institutions in the world will use the new media, especially in a city known for it's rich Irish Catholic heritage. I'm debating whether or not to
start a pool and take bets on how soon it will be used to solicit donations for the financially-strained church. (Yes, the link to the left is a shameless self promotion.)

The Boston Archdiocese is not the only Catholic entity to keep a blog. The Archdiocese of New York posts stories from the news and inspirational reflections on its Catholic Views blog. The site also contains columns by local priests and the Archdiocese's Cardinal.

The official announcement of Cardinal Sean's blog can be read here.

What will his Eminence post after his trip? Will the Archdiocese use the Cardinal's blog to request donations? Will the blog be a source of spiritual reflection for area Catholics?

Stay tuned.