Web Catholic - Links and News for Catholic Webmasters

April 28, 2004

(If you don't have time to read this now, please take note of the buttons on the right. They are free for the taking, for you to use on your Web site. Click on a button to pick up the html code.)

Dear Catholic Webmasters:

Here's a thought from this week's Sunday Gospel (Jn 21:1-19). The World Wide Web could also be seen as a World Wide Fishnet! "Cast your net over to the right side and you will find something," says Jesus. We must be willing to try new ways in our new media to serve the evangelizing mission of our Church. That's the challenge of our moment in history. The 153 fish caught by the disciples are seen by some scholars as a symbol of all the world's people. Can our Web sites help us speak to the world?

Q U I C K S C A N

Parish Site of the Month
Worth a Click

As the catechetical season winds down toward the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, our sites can turn more towards family. We webmasters should keep reminding our people that Easter season goes until Pentecost and encourage joyful acknowledgmentthat, as St. Thomas Aquinas said, "We are Easter people. Alleluia is our song." For more ideas on preparing your Web site for Pentecost, see our last issue of Web Catholic.

Mother's Day comes again this year during Eastertide. Rather than think of this as a secular holiday, we would do well to use this great opportunity to share our faith. Catholics have traditionally done this with meditation on Mary, mother of Jesus. AmericanCatholic.org has an attractive Web feature on Mary that your visitors will enjoy. You can find a free, attractive button for your site at our Webmasters' page simply by following the link on the right. You can follow the button on that page to the feature or look at it here.

We've also prepared a special feature for Mother's Day at AmericanCatholic.org. One of the more popular elements of the feature is our link to CatholicGreetings' Mother's Day cards. You can add an attractive button to your site by following the link on the right.

I have some happy news to report to all of you who have been receiving this e-newsletter. Julie Irwin Zimmerman has a new baby, an infant girl she is adopting from Korea. Fortunately for her daughter, and unfortunately for us, Julie has resigned. We hope to see some of her work still, but we are now in the process of hiring a new managing technical editor for our Web ministry. Thanks, Julie, for working so hard to spread the Good News to so many people. God bless you and your family!

John Bookser Feister
Editor, AmericanCatholic.org and sister sites

P.S. Our new online catalog is up and running. We think you'll find it easier and more enjoyable to use, whether you're searching for a particular product or just browsing. (Parishes and other institutions have a special page to log in.) Please have a look and let us know what you think!

Parish Site of the Month

St. William Parish, Archdiocese of Cincinnati
This is a neat, well designed site with plenty of thought and clean execution. This older parish is using the site to reconnect with its alumni from years past. By signing up, former students will receive the alumni e-newsletter. That's a good example of the parish Web site being put to a natural good use to strengthen the community. The rest of the site is kept up-to-date and is overall a pleasant visit. Congratulations!

Worth a Click

AN ONLINE TOUR
St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is arguably the most important church in the Christian world. This Web site, unaffiliated with St. Peter's or the Vatican, is a straightforward look at the storied structure's history and features. It contains a detailed floor plan explaining the church's highlights; links to books, articles and a walking guide of the church; maps; pages and pages of history; and beautiful images of the church's unparalleled artifacts.

Send a Catholic e-card for Mother's Day. Read about Catholic motherhood and the Virgin Mary.

May is also the month of Mary. Many of your visitors will appreciate a chance to learn about Mary.

This Easter-Pentecost feature is updated daily until Pentecost (May 30).

Saint of the Day, Minute Meditations, Daily Catholic Question, Catholic News.

Offer your visitors a graphic link to send a Catholic e-card.

Reading Room, Conversation Corners, Parish Listings—a great place for seekers to be reintroduced to their faith and find a welcoming parish.

It's the original, now expanded with patron saints, saints by name or by date, and now with streaming audio!

Please check out the entire
St. Anthony Messenger Press family of e-newsletters: