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You may be one of those people who discounts the evangelical possibilities of the artform commonly known as the cupcake. If so, Brad West is out to prove you wrong! What began with a giggle has grown to a full-fledged Pinterest board called "Catholic Cupcakes" that features one pin that's been repinned over 90 times!

I consider Brad West to be a colleague and friend in the New Evangelization. He's among my "go to" consultants when I have an issue, a question or simply need a fresh perspective. If you look beyond Brad's yummy Catholic Cupcakes board, you'll find him pinning Catholic prayer cards, books and apps, but also other fun stuff like Star Wars & Star Trek stuff, and Legos. This week, I've spent a lot of time pondering the new USCCB document Disciples Called to Witness. While I doubt the Bishops had cupcakes in mind when they wrote this document, I like to think they'd admire Brad's style of evangelization -- he's sharing a faith he loves in a way that is authentic, infectious, and -- yes -- fun.

This past weekend, I had the honor of attending my nephew Evan's First Holy Communion. At the Mass, the parish was filled to overflowing with family and friends who came out to support their beloved children receiving the sacrament. The truth is that occasions like this are a prime opportunity to share the joy we find in our faith. How many family members or friends who have been separated from the Church for whatever reason might find their way back to the faith through the simple example set by these wonderful children, receiving the Blessed Sacrament with dignity and so much excitement? And it's likely that those celebrations may include a few Catholic themed cupcakes too, just for good measure. The Catholic Cupcakes board is a great intersection between the liturgical calendar we watch unfold each year, and the family celebrations that bond us together in love.

So I will make a case along with Brad West for the value of the Catholic Cupcake as a tool in the New Evangelization. A sign of celebration and of faith, these simple goodies deserve to be pinned and pondered!

Follow all of Brad West's boards here

One final treat for you — our good friend Allison Girone of the Catholic Pinterest Group Board has kindly agreed to offer a weekly pointer for us on how to use some best practices to enjoy and effectively employ Pinterest. Here’s this week’s tip from Allison:

Find something on a blog that you want to pin? Why not let them know in the comment box? "Great post! Will be sharing a link to this on Pinterest."  Then they'll know who to thank for all the referral traffic from Pinterest. They may start following your boards.

If you’re a Catholic using Pinterest, please drop a link in the comments below to share your boards. Also, I’d love to hear about why you love Pinterest and how you think this latest craze might be used to spread the Good News.

Lisa M. Hendey loves Pinterest and can be found at http://pinterest.com/lisahendey/

Pushpin image courtesy of Darren Hester

Copyright 2012 Lisa M. Hendey