Catholic Communications, Pentecost, Father’s Day
by John Feister

(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.)

Q U I C K S C A N

Parish Site of the Month
Worth a Click

Greetings from the Catholic Media Convention! Each year at this time, Catholic communication leaders from across the country gather for a few days of continuing education, networking and awards. This year, in Brooklyn, New York, a group of us will be sharing a special seminar on “emerging technologies” for Church communication. The parish Web site almost seems like old news! (In truth, many dioceses and parishes are still struggling mightily to maintain solid Web sites.) Now we’re all trying to figure out what we are to do with blogs, social networks (like facebook, etc.),  podcasts and e-newsletters (like this one)! It seems that a convergence of all of these media—television, radio, print, telephone—will continue to flourish as the World Wide Web takes deeper roots in our culture. There are ways that each will impact the parish Web site. Watch for future articles on that!

For our ministry of evangelization, the key is having an online contact point to help people find your parish and stay connected during the times when they are not able to be physically together. The parish bulletin and occasional parish programs were the main ways that this happened in the past; now the parish Web site allows parishes to operate an “in-the-home” resource for people, including not only the things that are in the bulletin, but also other enriching materials: inspiring features, background information about the parish or even aids that help families pray together and nurture a strong Catholic identity.

That said, you can see a number of links on the sides of this e-mail message from our own Franciscan ministry at St. Anthony Messenger, which you can place on your own Web site to add to your own materials. Pentecost is finally here (May 27)—our feature will help you explain the meaning of the feast to your visitors. We have e-cards for Father’s Day (June 17), as well as a special feature with an emphasis on male spirituality.

Until next time, God bless you and your ministry!

John Feister
Editor, AmericanCatholic.org

Parish Site of the Month

St. Mary of the Lake (Archdiocese of Chicago)
Visit this attractive Web site for great examples of parish site content. The “Welcome” link is a good place to start. Click on it to learn about the church's mission, vision and prayer. Then check out the church's history. There are two versions: one for dial-up Interenet connections and one for high-speed connections. Explore the parish's history, from its beginnings in 1901 to its present-day renovations and growth. Also, be sure to see the parish registration form and photo gallery.

Worth a Click

Best Catholic Books
Sr. Julia, the author of this blog, states, “I became a Catholic because of a book. And I became a nun because of a bookstore.” Through her blog, she suggests books seasonally. (Check out past blog posts for information on books for Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas.) See her current entry, "For the Month of May," to view a video where Sr. Julia talks about books on the Blessed Mother.

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