MARGARET BOYLAN
STAFF WRITER
As Catholics begin to use more and more digital means to evangelize, popular Catholic institutions teamed together and produced a website to deliver Catholic content in an easy Netflix-type way.
Formed.org is a collaborative website, designed almost as a Catholic version of Netflix, to contain Catholic movies, audio talks, eBooks and videos from popular Catholic institutions, including the Augustine Institute, the St. Paul Center, Marian Fathers, Lighthouse Catholic Media, Ignatius Press and Word on Fire, according to the Augustine Institute Website.
According to the Formed.org promotional video, this website was designed because Catholics are oftentimes searching the Internet, sometimes in vain, for good, wholesome Catholic content.
Formed.org will be used as a tool in the new evangelization, stated the website.
According to the Formed introductory video, only 13 percent of Catholics go to Mass every Sunday, and the hope is that more churches will use this type of website to evangelize.
The Formed introductory video asked what it would be like if every parish community had a resource that would help to reach both enthusiastic Catholics, as well as lukewarm Catholics, not just in the church, but in coffee shops, workplaces and airports. This is what Formed.org is hoping to provide, stated the video.
Formed.org is making it easier to access Catholic material and is designed for both individuals and whole churches, said the website.
It also said that Formed.org offers all Catholics a variety of programs, including Adult Faith Formation, Marriage Enrichment, Bible Study, RCIA, Youth Ministry, Marriage Preparation, Marian Devotion and Small Group Discipleship.
According to the Augustine Institute’s website, Formed.org includes many well-known speakers, including the Most Rev. Robert Barron, Dr. Edward Sri, Dr. Scott Hahn, the Rev. Michael Gaitley, Leah Darrow, Jason and Crystalina Evert and many more.
It also contains many popular evangelization programs, including ‘Catholicism’ by Barron, ‘33 Days of Morning Glory’ by Gaitley and Marian fathers, ‘The Footsteps of God’ series with Steve Ray as well as Catholic feature films and e-Books from Ignatius Press, according to the Augustine Institute’s website.
Formed.org has a fee of $9.99 per month for an individual and $139.99 for entire parishes.