Diocese rolls out Flocknote communications tool

 
The latest diocesan communications tool would fit Pope Francis’ theology of accompaniment with leaders “taking on the smell of the sheep” except its iconic sheep – Uno – doesn’t smell at all.
Flocknote, a text messaging, marketing and email tool, was founded in 2009 by Catholic entrepreneur Matthew Varner.
The program and companion application use email and text messaging to stay in contact with Catholics and other supporters of the church throughout the Diocese. While Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger formally signed a contract on Oct. 1, it stepped up use of the system near the end of 2019.
 
Some Catholics in the Diocese already are familiar with Flocknote because their parishes use it to communicate with parishioners. In many cases, the parish supplements bulletin and pulpit announcements by sending out brief email or text messages to heighten awareness for upcoming events, or to remind people of liturgical seasons and special Masses or services. The Flocknote website claims to have contacts for more than 151,000 church leaders nationally.  Parishes here using Flocknote include  St. Mark’s in Oro Valley , St. Martin de Porres in Sahuarita and St. Thomas the Apostle, in Tucson.
When St. Mark’s pastor, Father John Arnold, was named Moderator of the Curia, he proposed use of the tool on a diocesanwide scale, to provide Bishop Weisenburger with a tool to communicate with Catholics and other supporters directly. Following discussion among senior staff, the bishop agreed.
Under Father Arnold’s supervision, email lists were provided by parishes currently using Flocknote, and other organizations that support the ministries in the Diocese, including the Catholic Foundation and the Catholic Tuition Scholarship Organization.
Initial emails were sent out to inform recipients of the new tool, and request permission to email or text future messages. Recipients were given the option to opt out and can opt out or unsubscribe at any time.
So why is it called Flocknote and why is a sheep a logo for the company?
Warner explained it this way in a website entry:
“Uno (the lamb) is the Flocknote mascot. After a long and somewhat rocky run in the rodeo circuit, he found himself a bit lost. But he’s now been found ( Lk 15:4-7). So we put him to work … well mostly he just eats hay, ambles around and follows stuff – mostly Jesus. But he keeps us focused.
“Uno is that one, lost sheep (you know, the one from Luke 15…that we’re supposed to leave the 99 to go after?) Uno is all around us in the poor and the lonely. In the unloved and the hopeless. In our homes and pews. In the mirror.
“Uno is why we, at Flocknote, are on a passionate mission to build a more connected Church. It’s why we’ve created the simplest, most powerful tool to connect with, listen to, engage and grow your flock.”