It all started on Twitter. @VitaCatholic sent a tweet that was suppose to be irony. It didn't work and was thought to be a criticism of the USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops.) Then @VitaCatholic sent out a tweet requesting for Rules for Catholic Tweeters. Then @sullijo tweeted in response with the crack, "Never send out a tweet without the expressed approval of the USCCB;" and added the hashtag, "#CatholicRulesforTwitter."...a meme was born.
Fellow Catholic tweeters started submitting their own #CatholicRulesForTwitter and retweeting those they found amusing. Over 400 tweets and retweets with #CatholicRulesForTwitter were shared within 24 hours. Others took notice and pretty soon there were #AnglicanRulesForTwitter and #LutheranRulesForTwitter. An online store was even set up to sell #CatholicRulesForTwitter merchandise, with all proceeds benefiting Catholic Relief Services (@CatholicRelief).
Never let it be said that Catholics don't have a sense of humor. Ask Thomas Aquinas. The USCCB eventually caught on and learned three lessons that they want to share:
(1) The USCCB can laugh at itself.
(2) Never underestimate the power of the internet to spread the word. If a small group can get a few humorous tweets to go viral, think about the difference large, concentrated online efforts could have in terms of evangelization.
(3) This joke-turned-Twitter-meme-turned-fundraising-effort serve as a reminder for all Catholics to do what Pope Benedict requested in his 2011 Word Communications Day message, which is “to make good use of their presence in the digital world.”
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