From celebrating opening Mass at the St. Paul Seminary to praying for Syrian children to glimpsing his first Minnesota lake, Archbishop Bernard Hebda is documenting his activities on Twitter.
Describing his new social media presence as “a work in progress,” Archbishop Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said he’s focusing his tweets on the archdiocese, although he has followers from the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, where he’s coadjutor.
“What I hope to achieve is to give people a window to see some of the great things going on in the archdiocese,” he said, adding that it’s important to be able to communicate with people through various means.
Of Twitter, Archbishop Hebda said he’s grateful that it limits his thoughts to 140 characters. “It helps me figure out what is the core of what I want to share,” he said.
Archbishop Hebda is the sole user of @ArchbishopHebda; no one tweets on his behalf.
“So, I can’t blame anyone else,” he said in jest.
Ahead of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, and papal visit to the U.S. Sept. 22-27, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens joined Twitter and Instagram, the social media platform that allows users to share photos and videos. Follow @BishopCozzens to see photos of his trip, which will include a private meeting with Pope Francis and Mary Jo Copeland of Sharing and Caring Hands.
