For centuries religious institutions were some of the most trusted organizations in most cultures. But in the modern era, suspicion of all authority figures and public institutions is on the rise. The “Me Too” era has shined a light into many dark areas of our culture, exposing abuse and corruption. (See here for an example of what […]
Earlier this month I mentioned that 95% of your website visitors are just looking for Mass times. The same is true for people who search for your church on Facebook. Are you publishing Mass times on Facebook? The best place to display Mass times on Facebook is in your page’s “About” section, under your “Story”: […]
Have you heard the latest – Bishop Barron meets Jordan Peterson? In the last few years, Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson has risen to fame, particularly among young men in the United States and Canada, for his socially conservative, no-nonsense approach to the issues of the day. His lectures, many of which examine Biblical narratives […]
What are 95% of the visitors to your parish website looking for? Mass times. That’s it. This was brought home to our staff this week when we spotted this Tweet by Catholic evangelist Meg Hunter-Kilmer (see below). The long and short of it? Publish your Mass times everywhere! Stop what you’re doing and open your […]
Facebook followers are often your most faithful parishioners. They not only fill the pews each week, but they are also looking to stay connected outside of Mass. Facebook contains information about these parishioners that can help you stay connected with them. By using ABOUT on Facebook, you can learn a lot about them. By clicking […]
We are all guilty of visiting YouTube to check out a video a friend said we simply “had to see.” Perhaps you watched a music video from your childhood, viewed the newest movie trailer, or got your fix of adorable cat videos. But YouTube is more than cat videos. It is an amazing place to […]
In 2018, St. Mary’s Press shocked the Church in North America when it published its research project, Going, Going Gone: Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics. The report showed that most young Catholics who stopped believing or caring about their religious identity did so around age 13, and that 87% of young people who left Catholicism stated […]
The Sunday bulletin has been a staple of Catholic life in North America for more than 75 years. But as almost all areas of life become digital, a paper bulletin may soon become a thing of the past (and maybe you’re already moving toward digital fundraising letters). Can we imagine a future without bulletins? What […]
The Book of Blessings, used in almost every Catholic church since the 1980s, is full of ritual blessings for everything from rosaries to fishing gear (seriously, there’s a blessing for fishing gear in there). As you look ahead to the start of another busy school year of ministry, evangelization, and religious education later this calendar […]
When our team conducted a national research project focused on giving trends in Catholic parishes, we asked parishes how many registered households had an email address on file with the parish. Churches that had emails for 70% or more of their households reported average household giving that was 21% higher than churches that had emails […]
