Pentecost: The Rest of the Story
by Julie Zimmerman

(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:

Society likes to think the Christmas season ends with the Dec. 26 after-Christmas sales and Easter ends the day after the bunny drops off the eggs and candy. But as Catholics, we know better. Just as the Christmas season lasts for weeks after the main holiday, so does Easter continue for seven weeks, concluding with the feast of Pentecost.

It’s understandable why the Easter season, in particular, often receives short shrift. The proximity of the Advent, Christmas and Lent seasons makes it feel like the Church has been in high gear since the start of Advent nearly five months ago. And the buildup to the Easter vigil and the welcoming of the elect into the Church leaves many active Catholics ready for a break from all that celebrating. But it's a shame too, because Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. Easter is best thought of as a cycle that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Pentecost.

Q U I C K S C A N

Parish Site of the Month
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As Catholic communicators, we can help the faithful share in the riches of Pentecost, but first we must understand the season and its symbols ourselves. For seven weeks after Easter—a week of Sundays—we observe and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This 50-day period leads up to Pentecost (the Greek word for fiftieth), when we celebrate God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. The story of Pentecost, told in Acts 2:1-13, recalls how the first disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit to leave the safety of the upper room and share their faith with strangers.

Looking at the entire cycle—from Lent to Easter to Pentecost—we can see the inseparable relationship between the cross and resurrection in the Christian faith. Lent anticipates the Resurrection, and we spend the Easter weeks remembering the victory of the cross and its cost. Finally, Pentecost recalls the gift of the Holy Spirit, which helps us to become impassioned witnesses to the crucified and risen Christ.

Once we understand the cycle ourselves, our next task is to communicate it to our audiences. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. AmericanCatholic.org's Easter to Pentecost feature explains the Easter season and provides daily meditations and celebration ideas. There are also explanations and a retelling of the Pentecost story. Feel free to link to it on your site.

2. The colors of the season—white and gold for Easter, representing purity and joy, and red for Pentecost, representing fire—can be used on your Web sites and in your other communications.

3. It may have been years since your visitors have seen or read anything about the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear) and the fruits of the Holy Spirit (charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity). Provide a list and encourage reflection on them.

4. Finally, since pews were probably fuller than usual on Easter, provide resources for those "twice-a-year" Catholics who may follow up with a visit to your site. Link to information on your diocese's "Coming Home" program if one exists. OnceCatholic.org, a Franciscan site for alienated Catholics, also helps many return to the Church. Consider a link to it on your site.

The Pentecost story provides a special challenge to us as Catholic communicators. Just as the disciples found within the Holy Spirit the power to go out and share their faith, so must we ask for the Spirit's guidance as we share our faith to the masses online. It is my Pentecost prayer that you may find that guidance this Easter season.

Julie Zimmerman
Managing editor, AmericanCatholic.org and sister sites

Next month: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty (by John Bookser Feister)

Parish Site of the Month

St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Archdiocese of Omaha
Behind this site's simple home page is a well-organized wealth of information on the parish community and the Catholic faith. Online photo albums, e-cards and an "ask-the-pastor" feature are available, along with more common elements such as bulletins and Mass schedules. Two other features worth mentioning: a prayer-by-prayer tour through the Rosary, with the appropriate daily mystery mentioned, and a searchable version of the Holy Bible.

Worth a Click

PRAYING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE EASTER SEASON
Daily Reflections from Creighton University
Creighton University has an impressive online collaborative ministry which include online retreats and videos on spirituality. These daily reflections, written by Creighton faculty, staff and administrators, are part of that ministry. Each includes links to the day's readings. An added bonus: the reflections can be downloaded to a PDA in two-week segments.

WHAT'S THE FIRST READING ON MARCH 22, 2007?
The Catholic Calendar Page
This handy little calendar lets you know the readings, vestment colors, liturgical seasons and years and even rosary mysteries for any given day far into the future. Need to know what day of the week the Feast of the Assumption falls on in 2014? Not only will the calendar tell you it's a Friday, it will also give you the gospel reading for the day (Luke 1:39-56). OK, there's some potential for wasting time here, but it's also a helpful planning tool for Webmasters and others who need to know Catholic calendar.

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