Aliens in This World

You cannot make this up, people.

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood (priests) recently had to give up their responsibility for a bunch of parishes up in “God’s Country”, because they just don’t have the personnel. The sisters’ side of the house is likewise growing smaller and smaller all the time; they don’t use nearly all the space at their motherhouse, which is actually now at a smaller facility than their original motherhouse. So yeah, they’d really like some new people.

Their slogan for recruiting vocations is all about listening to the beating of Christ’s heart and doing what He says. Very nice. Very mystical.

Then they illustrate it with someone playing bongo drums.

*smack palm into forehead*

Is there any image more stereotypically out of fashion and lame? Is there anything worse they could have used as an illustration, anything less Christ-like and Christ-centered, anything more likely to drive people away? Especially when, compared to other orders, they’re not all that bad — not nearly what they’re advertising themselves to be?

So who the heck picked this advertising campaign? What were they THINKING?

Did they not run a focus group? Did they not ask for any opinions? Did they not figure out that “pedophilia”, “rulers”, “polyester”, “kumbaya”, and “bongo drums” are the advertising images that religious orders should avoid at all costs?

Happily, the Precious Blood orders in other countries seem to be growing and doing well. (Also, not advertising for vocations with bongo drums.)