Web Catholic--Links and News for Catholic Webmasters 090202

September 2, 2002

(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:

Some of you have been receiving our e-mail notices about free features for your Web sites since 1996. Others may be hearing from the Web ministry at St. Anthony Messenger Press (www.AmericanCatholic.org and sister sites) for the first time. I'm proud to announce to you our new format for notifying webmasters about free Web features

Q U I C K S C A N

Parish Site of the Month
Worth a Click

from AmericanCatholic.org that many of you have used to improve your ministry. This newsletter will be monthly from now on. In addition to showing you links that will provide high quality content for your site, starting next time I'll offering my "Web Catholic" column here. My coworker Julie Irwin Zimmerman, former religion writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer, will be contributing, too.

I hope to use the column to take up topics that will be of special interest to Webmasters, editors, diocesan communication directors and others who are trying to use the Internet as a tool for evangelization. Why are we using the Web? How does it tie in with our greater mission of evangelization? Who's out there and how do we communicators serve them best? How is Catholic media changing with the digital revolution? Those are some of the broad topics I hope to address here.

Right now, though, I'd like to encourage you to take a look at our "5 Ways to Remember 9/11" feature (the top button on the right). Put it on your site if you wish. I'd also encourage you to take a look at the site behind the bottom button, www.oncecatholic.org. The site is designed for seekers who wish to reconnect with their Catholic faith. It was named Best Web Site by the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada earlier this year.

God Bless!

John Bookser Feister
Editor, AmericanCatholic.org and sister sites

p.s. We're against unwanted e-mails, so if you don't want to receive this in the future, use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this message.

Parish Site of the Month

OLIH, Diocese of Des Moines
Our Lady's Immaculate Heart parish in Ankeney, Iowa, has a sophisticated and beautiful Web site. The introduction is beautiful, the navigation is simple, the information is bountiful. The site is a nice blend of Flash, html, and PDF. Bravo!

Worth a Click

EVENTS
Nine Days to 9/11
The USCCB staff and the NCEA have put together an extensive collection of ideas related to the anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States. Practical exercises are offered for each day leading up to 9/11, a modern novena.

DIOCESE
http://www.archdiocese-chgo.org/
Three Web sites in one, the Archdiocese of Chicago site is available in English, Polish and Spanish. There's a ton of info here, well organized and easy to find.

Links to help your visitors pray, study, share online, pledge peacemaking or send a tasteful e-card.

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

Encourage your visitors to make a peace pledge--promising to commit time for peacemaking activities, close to home or afar.

Beautiful Catholic e-cards for all occasions.

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