Paradox of the Parish Web Site

Most of us take our parish bulletin for granted. Yet in it we find the pulse of our parish in the coming week and beyond. The best parish Web sites start with the bulletin’s mission, add the reading rack and build from there. And, unlike bulletins, they are never lost.

Our Lady of Peace Parish in Marshfield, Wisconsin, (www.olpmarshfield.org) is a good example. It has a bulletin board, prayer resources, Scripture notes from the pastor, a memoir by a senior parishioner and is unified with the parish school page. This Web site is about people in community.

Two-way Communication

Two Holy Family parishes show more. One in Stow, Ohio, (www.holyfamilystow.org) allows parishioners to share what they like best about being part of Holy Family, and has another area for sharing brief personal witnesses to faith. There are schedules, a map with directions, a welcome to new parishioners and an archive of a lively parish newsletter. Holy Family in Pasadena, California, (www.holyfamily.org) boasts much of the above, with a search option. There is a multitude of content here, including resources for conducting a do-it-yourself, faith-sharing get-together in your home. Parishioners are invited to sign up for a parish e-mail newsletter list, a valuable supplement to the parish Web site of which we’ll be seeing more.

Our Lady of Victory Parish in Baltimore (www.olvictory.org) has a Bible quiz and a poll. Whom do you address in prayer? (God the Father was winning over Jesus and the Holy Spirit when I voted—recount, anyone?) Like many sites, it has a guide for Confession and other useful tips for Catholic living.

Universal, Yet Local

The paradox of parish Web sites is that a page accessed 'round the world might be most powerful as a way to help people in neighborhoods stay in touch with each other.

The best parish Web sites are posting prayer intentions that allow everyone, everywhere to pray for each other’s particular needs. They have links to parish-sponsored programs. They find clever ways to build a sense of community among the faithful. They use the Web to help people live, work and pray together face-to-face.