Valladolid, Spain. The parish of the Heart of Mary in Valladolid (Spain), led by the Claretians of the Province of Santiago, appears on the “front page” of the newspaper El Norte de Castilla of January 31, 2011. It was one of the first parishes to introduce the use of audiovisual aids for preaching the Word of God.

The newspaper columnist says: “Every Sunday, the Claretians welcome the faithful with the projection of images from the Gospel. ‘Whenever there is an image, the message becomes a little more relevant. And as they have seen the Gospel when they entered, then they can more easily visualise it and ponder on its message. ‘, says the parish priest, José Antonio Serrano.

Thanks to the massive input by the Claretians, the 11am mass doesn’t have a seat to spare. Dozens of children sit on the front pews of this modern church, eager to sing the hymns that appear on the big screen.

One of the goals of these new technologies is, therefore, being fulfilled. For the parish priest, that means “greater involvement of the people and greater practicality for everyone ‘(…) The power-point is a veritable blessing.

The parish website (www.cormariavalladolid.es) has had more than 5,000 hits in its first year on the Web. Through it the parishioners can be instantly informed of activities organised by the Claretians, of photographs taken, schedules, pastoral groups and even messages from reflection.”