The eight general congregation of the College of Cardinals announced last week that the conclave to select the next Pope will begin on tomorrow on Tuesday, March 12, 2013. The cardinals will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning and then enter into the conclave that afternoon.

If you’re not planning on waiting outside the Sistine Chapel observing the color of the smoke or staying glued to EWTN’s coverage of the conclave, here are some “digital” ways you can keep track of the conclave’s progress.

Worried you may miss the “Habemus Papam” announcement? Focus (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) created the Pope Alarm! Rome is 6 hours ahead of us here and 10 a.m. there is an early 4 a.m. for us in in the CST time zone.

Sign up to get email or text alerts when the smoke from the Sistine Chapel turns white signifying a new Pope! Also follow Pope Alarm on Twitter (@popealarm) or even like them on Facebook!

Or maybe you’re interested in hearing things from the source. How about the papal smoke stack on top of the Sistine Chapel? This novelty twitter account, @PapalSmokeStack, promises to share the color of the smoke with those who follow it.

As the world watches we remember our call to give witness to Christ and to serve His Church. Represent well. #thinkbeforeyoutweet #Conclave

— Papal Smoke Stack (@PapalSmokeStack) March 10, 2013

Now, I wouldn’t go solely relying on these tweets. In a world of novelty twitter accounts (remember @Superdomelights tweeting about the power failure?) it’s nice to see one that’s keeping up with Catholic current events!

Email and tweets are good but maybe you like apps? The following apps are just a few of the many apps to get you news and information about the upcoming conclave.

• The Pope App (Developed by the News.Va – the official Vatican Media.)
• Conclave (Available for iOS and Android users)

Now, not everyone is able to (digitally) follow the news from the conclave. To ensure that the cardinal’s make their decision without any outside influence, wi-fi in and around Vatican City will be blocked.

The cardinals have also been warned about using Twitter and Facebook during the conclave. We wouldn’t want any Instagram shots of a voting ballot, would we? I don’t think that #papalvote is really appropriate across any social media platform.

This will be an exciting historical event made even more accessible with social media. We are more connected with each other than every before. This infographic states that every second 1,633 Tweets are published and 2.8 emails are sent. With those incredible numbers, it’s almost impossible to not get excited about how social media will connect us all through this time in the Church.

And, lastly, I know this one has made the rounds, but if you haven’t already there’s still time to Adopt A Cardinal! 

As of Sunday when I wrote this post, more than 425,620 people have participated by adopting a Cardinal. Why not add to that number and join in praying in thanksgiving for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s leadership, the church and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction during the conclave?

Have you come across any good digital resources for following the upcoming conclave? Let me know in the comments – I’m looking for some more to add to my list!